WHITESBURG, Ky. — Special Judge Christopher Cohron will remain on the Shawn Mickey Stines murder case.

Stines is the former Letcher County sheriff charged with murder for the Sept. 19, 2024, shooting death of Letcher District Judge Kevin Mullins in the judge’s chambers.

Back in December, defense attorneys filed a motion asking the judge to recuse himself from the case, after they received information that Cohron and Mullins sat next to each other at a judicial conference just seven days before Mullins’ death.

But on Friday, Cohron denied the motion and vouched for his impartiality in the case.

“To be sure, Judge Mullins and I shared the legal profession and may, in that regard, be viewed as colleagues,” Cohron wrote in his ruling, “but our nominal, purely professional association is not the degree of relationship which would interfere with my duty to uphold and apply the law and to perform judicial duties fairly and impartially or suggest an appearance of partiality.”

Back in January, the Supreme Court declined to step into the case, leaving the matter for Cohron to decide. However, the high court left the door open for the defense to appeal if Cohron elected to remain on the case.

There’s no word yet on yet on if the defense plans to appeal.

A full copy of the judge’s order follows: