Lawyer for ex-KY sheriff accused of killing judge asks for $50K bond
A lawyer for former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines asked for a $50,000 bond for her client during a hearing Friday at the Letcher County Courthouse.
Stines, 44, is charged with shooting and killing former county district judge Kevin Mullins on Sept. 19, 2024, inside Mullins’ chambers.
The shooting and the minutes before it were captured on video and released by the Kentucky State Police through an open records request.
The former sheriff is being held at the Leslie County Detention Center without bond, but his lawyer, Kerri Bartley, asked Circuit Judge Chris Cohron on Friday to set his bond at $50,000.
Bartley said Stines has deep roots in Letcher County and is not a flight risk. She also doesn’t believe Stines would pose a danger to others.
“He is the lowest possible risk level that one human could be,” Kerri Bartley said.
Jackie Steele, a special prosecutor appointed for the case, argued against a bond for Stines, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said defendants charged with a capital offense aren’t entitled to a bond.
Also during Friday’s hearing, arguments continued about several motions previously submitted in the case, including one filed by another of Stines’ lawyers, Jeremy Bartley, to dismiss the indictment. Jeremy Bartley accused prosecutors of intentionally failing to record a proceeding in front of the Letcher County grand jury and depriving the grand jury of information.
In response, prosecutors argued there is no evidence they participated in misconduct or acted in a way that would deprive Stines of a fair trial.
Stines’ lawyers also filed a motion to unseal the former sheriff’s psychological evaluation, saying the results of the tests will help the court understand relevant facts of the case. Jeremy Bartley previously planned to mount a defense of insanity or extreme emotional disturbance.
Cohron did not issue rulings on the motions, instead asking the attorneys to file any additional arguments about the motions by Sept. 2. Cohron will then decide whether an evidentiary hearing will be necessary to settle the motions.
This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 3:19 PM.
