WHITESBURG, Ky. — A special judge has denied multiple motions filed by former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines as he awaits trial for the 2024 shooting death of Letcher District Judge Kevin Mullins. But hte judge also agreed to hold a hearing on whether he is eligible for bail.
In a series of orders issued on Thursday, Special Judge Christopher Cohron rejected Stines’ request to dismiss the murder indictment, ruling that prosecutors did not mislead the grand jury or violate rules during the presentation of evidence. The judge found that even if some testimony was incomplete, the video of Stines shooting Judge Mullins in his chambers on September 19, 2024, provided clear probable cause for the indictment.
Stines had argued that the prosecution introduced misleading testimony about his mental state and his connection to a civil lawsuit involving former deputy Ben Fields. He also claimed the Commonwealth violated recording rules during an earlier grand jury meeting. Judge Cohron rejected each argument, writing that the alleged issues would not have changed the grand jury’s decision to charge Stines with murder.
In a separate ruling, Judge Cohron also denied Stines’ motion to unseal his Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center evaluation, concluding that the report was not required to be opened for the purposes of the upcoming proceedings.
Meanwhile, the court granted Stines’ request for a bond hearing, over the objection of prosecutors.
Under the Kentucky Constitution, all defendants are entitled to bail, except “for capital offenses when the proof is evident or the presumption great.” Prosecutors argue that the video of Stines shooting and killing Mullins satisfies that standard for denying bail.
But the defense has said it plans to pursue an insanity defense, as well as a defense of extreme emotional disturbance. If a jury agrees with the insanity defense, Stines would be absolved of guilt, while a successful defense of extreme emotional disturbance would reduce the charge from murder to manslaughter.
Judge Cohron found that an evidentiary hearing will be required for prosecutors to prove that the evidence meets the burden required to deny Stines bail. A date has not yet been set for that hearing.
Copies of the orders follow:
