Court issues order on special judge in murder case against former Kentucky sheriff

Karla Ward, Lexington Herald-Leader on Jan 20, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky Supreme Court has sent back to the lower court a request by former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines to have the special judge in his case removed.

Stines was charged with murder after he shot and killed Letcher County District Judge Kevin Mullins in Mullins’ chambers in September 2024. The shooting was captured on surveillance video.

Circuit Judge Christopher Cohron, of Bowling Green, was appointed special judge in the case, but last month, Stines asked that Cohron recuse himself or the chief justice of the state Supreme Court remove him.

Stines’ attorneys argued that the week before the shooting, Cohron sat next to Mullins at a judges’ conference, which they said might sway him.

Deputy Chief Justice Robert B. Conley said in an order issued Friday that Cohron needs to be given a chance to decide whether to recuse himself before the Supreme Court will consider doing so.

Conley asked the special judge to review Stines’ motion and decide whether to recuse himself. If he decides not to, Stines could file an affidavit asking the Supreme Court to remove him.

Stines’ lawyers said Mullins spoke at the judges’ conference about humane treatment of female inmates and that Cohron sat “inches away” during the two-hour meeting, which was held Sept. 12, 2024, seven days before the shooting. The attorneys say Cohron did not disclose that when he was appointed to preside over Stines’ case.

Since his death, Mullins has been accused of exploiting women in the justice system.

Stines is listed among the witnesses who will testify in a civil trial for a woman accusing one of Stines’ former deputies of coercing a woman to have sex with him in Mullins’ chambers.

Mullins was not named in the suit, and the suit did not claim he knew what the deputy was allegedly doing.

But according to a court filing from a lawyer representing the current Letcher County sheriff and the deputy in their official capacities, the woman who filed the suit told a Kentucky State Police detective that the deputy, Ben Fields, along with “Judge Mullins and other ‘higher ups’ would engage in sexual activities with individuals brough (sic) before Judge Mullins in criminal matters.“

The woman said “she had seen videos of Judge Mullins engaging in these activities.”

_____