PIKEVILLE, Ky. — The defendants in the Amber Spradlin murder trial will go to trial in 18 days.

That is the result of a hearing in the case today.

Spradlin’s body was found June 18, 2023, at the Arkansas Creek home of Prestonsburg dentist Michael McKinney. McKinney’s son, M.K. McKinney, has been charged with her murder, while both McKinneys and family friend Josh Mullins are charged with multiple counts of evidence tampering for allegedly trying to cover up the crime.

Floyd County Commonwealth’s Attorney Brent Turner requested a continuance in the case, saying not all of the DNA evidence has come back from the state crime lab. Michael McKinney’s attorney, Terry Dean Jacobs, and Mullins’ attorney, Whitney O’Neal, both agreed with delaying the trial, but asked the court to release their clients from home incarceration and drug testing requirements.

However, one of M.K. McKinney’s attorneys, Randy O’Neal, objected to any further delay in the case.

In the end, that one objection was all it took for Special Judge Eddy Coleman to make up his mind.

“Well, since Mr. [M.K.] McKinney objected to the trial being continued, it won’t be,” Judge Coleman said. “See you all on May 11.”

Coleman then thanked the parties and left the courtroom.

In his order filed after the hearing, the judge also denied the motions to release Michael McKinney and Josh Mullins from home incarceration.

There is still time for other issues to arise that could delay the case, and several sources close to the case tell Mountain Top News that they believe there is a good chance the trial could still be delayed. But as it stands now, jury selection will begin May 11. The trial is expected to last 3-to-4 weeks.

You can watch a full livestream of the hearing on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/MountainTopMediaNews/.

A copy of the judge’s order follows:

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WHITESBURG, Ky. — A former Letcher County sheriff accused of murder is not giving up on his efforts to have the judge presiding over his case disqualified.

Former Sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines is charged with murder for the Sept. 19, 2024, shooting death of Letcher District Judge Kevin Mullins in the judge’s chambers.

Back in December, a hearing in the case was abruptly canceled after the parties arrived at the courthouse, due to a matter Special Judge Christopher Cohron said needed to be resolved. Days later, the defense filed a motion asking Cohron to recuse himself from the case.

As basis for the recusal, Stines’ attorneys pointed out that Cohron had not disclosed that he and Mullins sat next to each other during a meeting of the Judicial Commission on Mental Health just seven days before Mullins was killed.

But Cohron denied the motion March 6, saying his relationship with Mullins was professional and would not affect his judgment in the case.

But on Tuesday, Stines filed an affidavit further questioning Cohron’s impartiality.

The affidavit notes the video shows Mullins discussing his work on a “Women with Dignity” bill, highlighting recovery events and expungement efforts in Letcher County, and discussing his professional plans at a District Judge’s College the following week. Stines says the video shows Cohron appearing to nod in approval at Mullins’ statements.

“It is my belief that the trial of this matter will necessarily include evidence regard the week’s events Mullins discussed in the video,” Stines’ affidavit reads. “As such, it is difficult to believe that Judge Cohron’s proximity with Mullins such a short time before the events at issue will not affect his judgment in my case. It is also my believe that evidence presented at trial regarding Mullins will conflict with the judge’s professional knowledge of Mullins and that the presiding judge will not be impartial as a result. The relationship between the presiding judge and the alleged victim, including their service together on the smae committee and the proximity to the events at issue in this case, creates circumstances under which a reasonable person could question the presiding judge’s impartiality.”

By filing the affidavit, the question over whether Cohron continues to preside over the case now goes to Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Lambert. She will now review the case and determine whether or not to disqualify Cohron from the case.

A copy of the Stines’ affidavit follows:

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PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — A Floyd County man’s repeatedly delayed murder trial has a new trial date.

Wesley Glenn Martin, 50, of Wayland, was arrested on a charge of murder in February 2019, after the body of 26-year-old Jordan Tackett was found buried in a shallow grave in his yard.

On Monday, Floyd Circuit Judge Johnny Ray Harris set the case for trial May 18. A bond hearing is also scheduled to be held over Zoom next week.

Martin is currently being held in the Pike County Detention Center.

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VICCO, Ky. — A Perry County man has been charged with murder in connection with a fatal side-by-side crash last month. 

Noah Back, 26, of Vicco, was arrested on a charge of murder Saturday, according to Sheriff Joe Engle. 

“After conferring with Commonwealth Attorney John Hansen, we have established that probable cause exists that the actions Noah Back took on Feb. 28, exhibited extreme indifference to human life which resulted in the death of 16 year old Miss Emilynn Clark,” Engle said in a statement released on his office’s Facebook page. 

The crash happened Feb. 28 near Oakwood Ave. in Vicco. At the time, Engle said Clark was riding in the side-by-side driven by another minor girl and two men. 

Engle did not say if Back was one of the men or release many other details about the case. However, he did say autopsy results showed Clark was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of her death. 

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DELBARTON, W.Va. — A Delbarton man has been charged with murdering his wife.

Deputies with the Mingo County Sheriff’s Office were called Friday morning to conduct a welfare check at the home of Leroy Hunt, 35, and Christina Hunt, 26. When they arrived, they found Christina Hunt’s body on the front porch, covered with a blanket.

After a brief standoff, Leroy Hunt was arrested.

Police say Leroy Hunt shot his wife as she was walking into the home. The couple’s 2-year-old child was inside the home when the shooting occurred.

Leroy Hunt has been charged with first-degree murder and child neglect creating risk of serious injury or death. He is being held without bond in the Southwestern Regional Jail at Holden.

A crowdfunding campaign has been established by Christina Hunt’s mother to help the family pay for funeral expenses. You can find it at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-honor-my-daughters-memory-crgrb.

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PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — The Amber Spradlin murder trial could be delayed again, after prosecutors asked for another postponement on Wednesday.

Spradlin’s body was found June 18, 2023, at the Arkansas Creek home of Prestonsburg dentist Michael McKinney. McKinney’s son, M.K. McKinney, has been charged with her murder, while both McKinneys and family friend Josh Mullins are charged with multiple counts of evidence tampering for allegedly trying to cover up the crime.

The case was originally set for trial Dec. 1, but Special Judge Eddy Coleman delayed it until May 11, after Commonwealth’s Attorney Brent Turner said the extra time was needed for the Kentucky State Police Forensic Lab to complete DNA testing on the final two batches of evidence.

But in a motion filed on Wednesday, Turner says the prosecution is still waiting for results on those final batches.

Turner said the final batch has begun testing, but is not complete. He added that he has been told testing will not be finished before the current trial date. The penultimate batch has completed testing, but is still undergoing peer review before the final report is written.

Turner noted that the court’s reasons for the delay from December until May still stand.

“In doing so, the court found that delaying the trial until DNA testing could be completed was justified and that the absence of available DNA evidence would be equivalent to a missing witness,” Turner writes in the motion. “The court further held that the failure to complete testing could prejudice the defendants by causing them to lose potential exculpatory evidence.”

And perhaps anticipating a possible objection from the defense, Turner argues that circumstances have changed since the last delay, now that M.K. McKinney has been released from jail to home incarceration.

“The defense’s objection to the previous continuance was based primarily on the fact that the defendant, M.K. McKinney, was still incarcerated and unable to make bond,” Turner wrote. “Since that time, he has made bond and is now out of custody. With all three defendants out on bond, there is no reason to rush the case to trial without all of the evidence being available.”

The motion asks the court to cancel the May 11 trial and set a hearing for sometime in May or June in order to select a new trial date.

A copy of Turner’s motion follows:

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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:

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ASHLAND, Ky. — A former inmate at the Martin County federal prison who was indicted last month for assaulting guards at the facility has now been charged with murder.

Daviian Dwane Roberts, 35, formerly of Midland, Texas, is now charged with murder for allegedly killing fellow inmate Michael Smith in October of 2024.

Last month, he was charged with three counts of assaulting USP Big Sandy correctional officers after being accused of attack three guards with a weapon in March of 2025.

The assault charges could add up to 20 years to Roberts’ sentence, but the murder charge could result in a sentence of any length, including life.

Roberts is currently being held in the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colo. No hearings have yet been set in either case.

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WHITESBURG, Ky. — A former Letcher County sheriff charged with murder is asking a judge to rule out the death penalty before his case goes to trial.

Attorneys for former Sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines filed a motion Monday requesting a hearing to determine whether Stines has a serious intellectual disability or serious mental illness, as defined by Kentucky law. If the court makes that finding, state law would prohibit prosecutors from seeking the death penalty.

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

The motion asks the court to schedule a hearing where sealed and other evidence related to Stines’ mental health and intellectual functioning could be presented. Defense attorneys say the hearing must be held well in advance of trial so the court can make a ruling at least 90 days before proceedings begin.

The defense notes the motion is being filed to preserve Stines’ rights under state law but asks that the hearing be scheduled only after a pending judicial recusal issue is resolved.

Stines’ defense asked that Special Judge Christopher Cohron recuse himself from the case, after learning that Cohron and Mullins attended a meeting and sat together one week before Mullins’ death. The Kentucky Supreme Court issued a ruling last month leaving that decision up to Cohron, but said it would consider a defense request to reconsider if Cohron decides to stay on the case.

If the judge determines Stines meets the statutory criteria, the death penalty would be excluded as a possible punishment, and jurors would not be questioned about capital punishment during jury selection.

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PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — The next hearing in the Amber Spradlin murder case has been postponed.

Spradlin’s body was found June 18, 2023, at the Arkansas Creek home of Prestonsburg dentist Michael McKinney. McKinney’s son, M.K. McKinney, has been charged with her murder, while both McKinneys and family friend Josh Mullins are charged with multiple counts of evidence tampering for allegedly trying to cover up the crime.

The case is currently set for trial May 11, and the defendants were supposed to appear in court Feb. 26 for a pretrial conference.

However, Special Judge Eddy Coleman signed an order on Wednesday postponing the next hearing until April 3.

No reason was given for the delay.

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