Explore every episode of the podcast Chambers of Secrets: The Murder of Judge Kevin Mullins

Mickey Stines ran the Letcher County jail system for years. Four days after his arrest for allegedly shooting Judge Kevin Mullins, a social worker found he couldn’t recognize a cell. He was in an active state of psychosis. Unaware of his surroundings. No recollection of the recent past. He had to be pepper-sprayed during episodes of combativeness.

That evaluation is central to the insanity defense Stines’ attorneys are building. New testimony from his aunt paints a picture of the days before the September 2024 shooting: seven nights without sleep, obsessive monitoring of his home security cameras, forty pounds lost in two weeks, and a FaceTime call minutes before the shooting where he asked for a grandmother who’d been dead for two and a half years. His doctor saw him the day before and sent him home with melatonin and Benadryl. His friends, his staff, and his family all agree something was catastrophically wrong.

The prosecution is pushing back hard. Stines closed the door to the judge’s chambers before firing. He had lunch with Mullins the same day. And if the defense proves he was mentally ill enough for an insanity defense, the prosecution argues he’s too dangerous for bail. In this Mickey Stines case update: three major rulings are pending — bond, venue change, and whether prosecutors get their own mental health expert. The death penalty hearing still needs to be scheduled. No trial date set.

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The Mickey Stines case raises hard questions about mental health in law enforcement — and what happens when warning signs get ignored by everyone who sees them.

Before former Letcher County Sheriff Stines shot and killed Judge Kevin Mullins in September 2024, multiple people in the courthouse saw him deteriorating. According to court documents, staff watched him lose forty pounds in two weeks. He stopped sleeping. He expressed paranoid beliefs that his family was going to be murdered. He made phone calls to dead relatives. One employee told Kentucky State Police she believed he was "in a psychosis."

A local attorney warned the judge directly that Stines was "losing it." The police chief reportedly said he'd "lost his mind." An attorney was so alarmed he contacted the Kentucky Bar Association to figure out what he could do.

The day before the shooting, friends brought Stines to his doctor. According to medical records cited in court filings, Stines denied psychosis or homicidal thoughts. He was diagnosed with acute stress and sent home. Twenty-four hours later, he walked into the judge's chambers and opened fire.

This case forces hard questions: what systems exist to intervene when a law enforcement officer is visibly breaking down? Who has the authority to act? In Letcher County, the answer appears to have been no one. Stines' defense is pursuing insanity, claiming psychosis and lack of capacity. Whether that succeeds is up to the courts. But the institutional failure deserves examination regardless.

#MickeyStines #LawEnforcementMentalHealth #KevinMullins #SheriffShooting #LetcherCounty #CourthouseShooting #MentalHealthCrisis #PoliceAccountability #InstitutionalFailure #TrueCrime

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

On September 19th, 2024, the justice system in Whitesburg, Kentucky ruptured in the most shocking way imaginable: Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines walked into Judge Kevin Mullins’ chambers and opened fire, killing his longtime friend — just minutes after they’d shared lunch. The entire murder was captured on courthouse surveillance, leaving the community stunned and searching for answers.

In this gripping episode of Hidden Killers, Tony Brueski is joined by psychotherapist and author Shavaun Scott to examine the psychological unraveling behind a sheriff killing a judge on camera. Was this an act of madness? A collapse under pressure? Or something far more calculated?

Just three days before the shooting, Stines had been deposed in a civil case involving allegations of corruption and misconduct inside his own office. Investigators are now asking whether mounting legal pressure pushed him toward a breaking point, or whether he believed silencing Mullins would somehow change his fate.

Bodycam footage captured immediately afterward shows Stines muttering paranoid claims like “you’re going to kill me,” even as he surrendered without resistance. Was this genuine psychosis, trauma, or an attempt to set the stage for an insanity defense?

In the second half, Tony, Stacy Cole, Todd Michaels, and attorney Eric Faddis break down newly released grand jury transcripts revealing that key evidence — including a mental-health diagnosis the day before the shooting — was never presented to jurors. Intake records describing Stines as “actively psychotic,” footage showing visible paranoia, and behind-the-scenes prosecutorial decisions all raise a critical question: was justice compromised before the trial even began?

This is the story of a sheriff’s psychological collapse — and the cracks in a justice system now forced to confront its own failures.

#MickeyStines #JudgeMullins #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #CourthouseMurder #TrueCrimePodcast #MentalHealthDefense #GrandJury #EricFaddis #PsychologicalAnalysis


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Two cases. Two different outcomes. One shared question the system still can’t answer.

In California, police say they moved quickly after Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found stabbed to death — confident they had enough evidence to arrest their son, Nick Reiner, within hours. The legal fight now centers on schizophrenia, medication changes, and whether mental illness excuses violence.

In Kentucky, the opposite happened. Everyone saw Mickey Stines unravel — law enforcement, attorneys, medical professionals. But because he was an elected sheriff, no one had the legal authority to stop him. No red flag law. No suspension power. No override. Judge Kevin Mullins paid the price.

In this full episode, retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer connects the dots between these cases and exposes the dangerous gaps in how the system handles mental illness when violence intersects with power, family, and authority.

We explore how investigations unfold, how insanity defenses are built and challenged, and why prevention often fails not because people didn’t care — but because the law gave them no tools to act.

These aren’t isolated tragedies. They’re warnings.

And until the system changes, they won’t be the last.

#TrueCrime #JenniferCoffindaffer #HiddenKillers #MentalHealthAndCrime #SystemFailure #NickReiner #MickeyStines #FBIAnalysis #TrueCrimeNews


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The prosecution wants to move this trial. Not the defense—the prosecution. The Commonwealth of Kentucky is asking the court to relocate the murder trial of former Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines, who shot and killed District Judge Kevin Mullins inside his chambers on September 19, 2024. The entire shooting was captured on security footage. There's no question about what happened. The question is why—and whether Stines was mentally capable of forming intent when he pulled the trigger.

Court documents reveal a man in freefall. The day before the shooting, Stines was diagnosed with acute stress reaction. Witnesses told investigators he was "losing it," that his anxiety was "completely off the charts," that they believed he was in psychosis. He'd lost forty pounds in two weeks. He told coworkers "they" were going to kill his wife and daughter—but never said who "they" were. Four days after the shooting, a jail social worker found him still in active psychosis, unaware of his surroundings, requiring antipsychotic medication and pepper spray to control.

The shooting came just three days after Stines was deposed in a federal lawsuit alleging his deputy coerced women into sex inside Mullins's chambers. That lawsuit also named Stines for failing to supervise. Multiple women have made allegations about what happened in that office—allegations that have never been proven and that Mullins, now dead, cannot answer.

Prosecutors say they can't try this case in Letcher County. The crime scene is the courthouse. Both men were elected officials everyone voted for. The defense says keep it local—national coverage means nowhere is untouched. Meanwhile, Stines faces the death penalty, and his lawyers are building an insanity defense around a paper trail of warnings nobody acted on.

#MickeyStines #Letcher County #TrueCrime #KevinMullins #KentuckySheriff #CourthouseShooting #InsanityDefense #TrueCrimeNews #MurderTrial #CriminalJustice


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Court filings in the Mickey Stines case reveal a chilling reality: everyone saw the breakdown coming — and no one had the power to stop it.

An elected Kentucky sheriff spiraled publicly. He called dead relatives on his phone. Lost weight rapidly. Stopped sleeping. Displayed paranoia. His own staff pushed him to see a doctor. The diagnosis? Acute stress reaction. The response? Send him home — with his badge, his gun, and his authority untouched.

Twenty-four hours later, Judge Kevin Mullins was shot nine times in his own chambers.

In this deep-dive, retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer exposes the structural failures that allowed this to happen. Kentucky has no red flag law. An elected sheriff cannot be suspended by subordinates. There was no mechanism to disarm him — even as multiple people recognized he was in crisis.

We examine the civil lawsuit accusing sheriff’s office employees of failing to warn Judge Mullins, and their defense that Kentucky law imposed no duty to act. Is that legally sound? Is it morally defensible?

This isn’t just a tragedy — it’s a systems failure. One that raises terrifying questions about authority, mental health, and what happens when the person in crisis sits at the very top of the chain of command.

#MickeyStines #JudgeMullins #JenniferCoffindaffer #TrueCrime #SystemicFailure #MentalHealthCrisis #HiddenKillers #FBIAnalysis #KentuckyCase

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Three days before Sheriff Mickey Stines allegedly walked into Judge Kevin Mullins' chambers and shot him nine times, an attorney contacted the Kentucky Bar Association asking what he could do to intervene. He had already warned Mullins directly. Told him Stines was losing it. The local police chief saw enough to say Stines had lost his mind. Staff inside the sheriff's office watched their boss place phone calls to relatives who had been dead for years. His friends took him to a doctor. The doctor diagnosed acute stress reaction and sent him home. Twenty-four hours later, Kevin Mullins was dead.

Court documents reveal the warning signs were everywhere. Witnesses say Stines had not slept in days. He had lost a massive amount of weight. He was convinced unnamed people were going to kill his wife and daughter. He woke his wife at night to whisper because he believed their home was bugged. Coworkers saw it. An attorney saw it. The police chief saw it. Nobody had the power to stop it.

Kentucky has no red flag law. Involuntary commitment requires proof of imminent danger, not paranoid delusions, not rapid weight loss, not bizarre behavior. And when the person in crisis is an elected sheriff, no one has the authority to suspend him, disarm him, or override his denials.

Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott joins us to break down what these behaviors actually mean clinically, what paranoid psychosis looks like, why people miss or dismiss the signs, and whether Stines' insanity defense might hold up in court. The widow's civil lawsuit now asks whether three sheriff's office employees should be held liable for failing to warn Mullins. Their defense: Kentucky law imposed no duty to warn or protect.

Everyone did something. It was not enough.

#MickeyStines #JudgeKevinMullins #TrueCrime #KentuckySheriff #CourthouseShooting #MentalHealthCrisis #InsanityDefense #WarningSigns #Psychosis #ShavaunScott #RedFlagLaws #TrueCrimeNews #SystemicFailure #LetcherCounty #KentuckyCrime #TrueCrimePodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #CriminalJustice #CourtroomDrama #TrueCrimeCommunity


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Kentucky Sheriff Mickey Stines has admitted in court filings that he shot and killed Judge Kevin Mullins in his chambers on September 19, 2024. Nine bullets. Seven of them fired while the judge was already on the ground. The entire killing was captured on video. But now Stines is claiming he had no control over his actions and his defense team is pointing to a rare neurological disease caused by bug bites as part of their explanation.

For over a year, no one could explain why a longtime sheriff walked into a judge's chambers and executed a man he had worked alongside for decades. Stines had served as Mullins' bailiff. They ate lunch together that same day. After a seven-minute private conversation behind closed doors, Stines locked the door and opened fire.

Court documents now reveal what was happening in the days before the shooting. Stines had lost forty pounds in two weeks. He was placing phone calls to dead relatives. He told staff that shadowy forces were coming to kill his wife and daughter. He made someone put a bulletproof vest on his wife. His own employees believed he was experiencing psychosis. An attorney warned Judge Mullins directly that Stines was losing it. The local police chief said he had lost his mind.

But here is the problem. The day before the shooting, Stines visited a doctor. According to medical records, he denied experiencing any psychosis or homicidal thoughts. The doctor diagnosed acute stress reaction and sent him home. Twenty-four hours later, Kevin Mullins was dead.

Now Stines is building an insanity defense that includes claims of California encephalitis, a tick-borne illness that can cause confusion and aggression. Whether this is a legitimate diagnosis or a legal strategy designed to avoid accountability remains to be seen.

#MickeyStines #JudgeKevinMullins #LetcherCounty #KentuckySheriff #CourthouseShooting #TrueCrime #InsanityDefense #CaliforniaEncephalitis #TrueCrime2025 #JusticeForMullins #KentuckyCrime #TrueCrimeCommunity #CriminalJustice #MurderTrial #LegalDefense #TrueCrimeNews #CourtroomDrama #SheriffShooting #MentalHealthDefense #BreakingCrime


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Rob and Michele Reiner spent nearly two decades trying to save their son. Seventeen rehab stays. Constant supervision. A guest house on their property so they could keep him close and try to manage the chaos. Every possible resource love, money, access, and opportunity could provide. And still, on December 15, 2025, they were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home. Their son, Nick Reiner, now faces charges in their killings.

This is not a story about parents who missed the warning signs. It’s about parents who lived with those signs for eighteen years and had no legal way to act on them.

In this in-depth conversation, psychotherapist Shavaun Scott examines what was likely unfolding inside the Reiner family long before that final night. She breaks down why Nick Reiner’s own words — that drugs were never about getting high but about “killing the noise” — point to deeper psychological distress that traditional rehab often fails to address. We explore what happens to parents psychologically when they’ve exhausted every option yet remain trapped in proximity to a volatile adult child, and why wealth and access offered no real protection.

The discussion then widens to a second chilling case: the Mickey Stines tragedy in Kentucky, where a sheriff fatally shot a judge inside his own courthouse after weeks of visible psychological unraveling. Witnesses described paranoia, severe sleep deprivation, rapid weight loss, delusional beliefs, and an alarming phone call to a deceased relative on the day of the incident. Coworkers saw it. Friends saw it. Authorities saw it. And still, no intervention stopped what followed.

Together, these cases expose a painful reality: in the United States, families and communities often recognize danger long before the law allows action. Competent adults cannot be forced into treatment. Intervention requires “imminent danger,” a threshold that frequently isn’t crossed until lives are already lost.

This conversation isn’t about excusing violence or assigning blame. It’s about confronting the limits of love, the failures baked into mental-health and commitment laws, and the impossible position families are placed in when respecting autonomy means risking their own safety.

If you’ve ever wondered how people can do everything right and still end up here, this episode offers uncomfortable — but necessary — answers.

#ReinerMurders #NickReiner #MickeyStines #JudgeKevinMullins #TrueCrime #MentalHealthCrisis #SystemicFailure #CrimePsychology #FamilyViolence #ShavaunScott #HiddenKillers


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Rob and Michele Reiner spent nearly two decades trying to save their son. Seventeen rehab stays. Constant supervision. A guest house on their property so they could keep him close and try to manage the chaos. Every possible resource love, money, access, and opportunity could provide. And still, on December 15, 2025, they were found stabbed to death in their Brentwood home. Their son, Nick Reiner, now faces charges in their killings.

This is not a story about parents who missed the warning signs. It’s about parents who lived with those signs for eighteen years and had no legal way to act on them.

In this in-depth conversation, psychotherapist Shavaun Scott examines what was likely unfolding inside the Reiner family long before that final night. She breaks down why Nick Reiner’s own words — that drugs were never about getting high but about “killing the noise” — point to deeper psychological distress that traditional rehab often fails to address. We explore what happens to parents psychologically when they’ve exhausted every option yet remain trapped in proximity to a volatile adult child, and why wealth and access offered no real protection.

The discussion then widens to a second chilling case: the Mickey Stines tragedy in Kentucky, where a sheriff fatally shot a judge inside his own courthouse after weeks of visible psychological unraveling. Witnesses described paranoia, severe sleep deprivation, rapid weight loss, delusional beliefs, and an alarming phone call to a deceased relative on the day of the incident. Coworkers saw it. Friends saw it. Authorities saw it. And still, no intervention stopped what followed.

Together, these cases expose a painful reality: in the United States, families and communities often recognize danger long before the law allows action. Competent adults cannot be forced into treatment. Intervention requires “imminent danger,” a threshold that frequently isn’t crossed until lives are already lost.

This conversation isn’t about excusing violence or assigning blame. It’s about confronting the limits of love, the failures baked into mental-health and commitment laws, and the impossible position families are placed in when respecting autonomy means risking their own safety.

If you’ve ever wondered how people can do everything right and still end up here, this episode offers uncomfortable — but necessary — answers.

#ReinerMurders #NickReiner #MickeyStines #JudgeKevinMullins #TrueCrime #MentalHealthCrisis #SystemicFailure #CrimePsychology #FamilyViolence #ShavaunScott #HiddenKillers


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A Kentucky sheriff shot and killed a judge inside his own courthouse chambers — and according to court documents, the warning signs were everywhere. Witnesses say Mickey Stines hadn't slept in days. He'd lost a massive amount of weight. He was convinced unnamed people were going to kill his wife and daughter. He woke his wife up at night to whisper because he believed their home was bugged. And on the day of the shooting, he reportedly tried calling his grandmother — who had been dead for three years. Coworkers saw it. An attorney saw it. 

The local police chief said "that son of a bitch has lost his mind." His friends even took him to the doctor the day before. And still, nobody stopped what was coming. In this segment, psychotherapist Shavaun Scott breaks down what these behaviors actually mean clinically — what paranoid psychosis looks like, why people miss or dismiss the warning signs, and what Stines' insanity defense might actually hold up to. We're not here to excuse what happened. We're here to understand it. Because this case is a brutal lesson in what happens when someone falls apart in plain sight and no one knows what to do about it.

#MickeyStines #JudgeKevinMullins #TrueCrime #KentuckySheriff #CourthouseShooting #MentalHealthCrisis #InsanityDefense #WarningSigns #Psychosis #ShavaunScott


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Three days before Sheriff Mickey Stines allegedly walked into Judge Kevin Mullins' chambers and shot him nine times, an attorney contacted the Kentucky Bar Association asking what he could do to intervene. He'd already warned Mullins directly. Told him Stines was "losing it." The local police chief had seen enough to say Stines had "lost his mind." Staff inside the sheriff's office watched their boss make phone calls to relatives who had been dead for years. They got him to a doctor. The doctor sent him home with a diagnosis of "acute stress reaction." Twenty-four hours later, Kevin Mullins was dead.

This isn't a story about people who didn't care. It's a story about people who saw a crisis developing, took action within the limits of what they could actually do, and discovered those limits weren't anywhere close to enough. Kentucky has no red flag law. Involuntary commitment requires proof of imminent danger — not paranoid delusions, not rapid weight loss, not bizarre behavior. And when the person in crisis is an elected sheriff, nobody has the authority to suspend him, disarm him, or override his denials.

Court documents exposed this week reveal just how many people recognized something catastrophic was happening — and how the systems we've built gave them almost no power to stop it. The widow's civil lawsuit now asks whether three sheriff's office employees should be held liable for failing to warn Judge Mullins. Their defense: Kentucky law imposed no duty to warn or protect.

Everyone did something. It wasn't enough. And the gap between "someone should do something" and anyone having the power to actually do it is where Kevin Mullins died.

#MickeyStines #JudgeMullins #TrueCrime #KentuckySheriff #CourthouseShooting #MentalHealthCrisis #RedFlagLaws #TrueCrimeNews #SystemicFailure


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A former sheriff caught on video shooting a sitting judge is now asking the court to rule that he's too mentally ill to face the death penalty. Shawn "Mickey" Stines' attorneys filed a motion Monday under Kentucky's 2022 mental illness exemption statute, requesting a hearing to determine whether their client has a serious intellectual disability or serious mental illness. The filing offers no named diagnosis and no attached medical documentation.

This episode focuses on the legal mechanics — what Kentucky's HB 269 actually requires, how the only previous case under this statute played out, and where the evidence lands for and against Stines' claim. We walk through the four qualifying diagnoses the law recognizes, the documentation and symptom requirements, and the 120-day filing and 90-day ruling timelines the defense is now working against.

On one side: witness accounts of a sheriff spiraling into paranoia, a jail intake describing active psychosis, and staff members who told state police they believed he had lost touch with reality. On the other: surveillance footage prosecutors say shows deliberate actions, a doctor's visit where Stines denied any mental health symptoms hours before the shooting, no public record of a qualifying pre-existing diagnosis, and a sealed psychiatric evaluation the defense hasn't been able to leverage. We also look at the broader strategic picture — with no trial date set, a judge recusal motion pending, and Kentucky's death penalty functionally dormant since 2008, what this filing may really be designed to accomplish.

#MickeyStines #SheriffStines #JudgeMullins #LetcherCounty #KentuckyLaw #DeathPenaltyExemption #MentalIllnessDefense #HB269 #CourthouseShooting #LawEnforcement

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

Mickey Stines just admitted in court filings that he shot and killed Judge Kevin Mullins. Nine bullets. Seven of them fired while the judge was already on the ground. It's all on video. But now Stines is claiming he "had no control" over his actions—and his defense is pointing to a rare neurological disease caused by bug bites as part of the explanation.

For over a year, no one could explain why a Kentucky sheriff walked into a judge's chambers and executed a man he'd worked with for decades. They'd eaten lunch together that same day. Stines used to be Mullins' bailiff. And then, after a seven-minute private conversation, Stines locked the door and opened fire.

Now court documents reveal what was happening to Stines in the days before the shooting. He'd lost 40 pounds in two weeks. He was making phone calls to dead relatives. He told staff that shadowy forces were coming to kill his wife and daughter. He made someone put a bulletproof vest on his wife. His own employees believed he was in a psychosis. An attorney warned the judge directly that Stines was "losing it." The local police chief said he'd "lost his mind."

But here's the problem: the day before the shooting, Stines saw a doctor. And according to medical records, he denied experiencing any psychosis or homicidal thoughts. The doctor diagnosed "acute stress reaction" and sent him home. Twenty-four hours later, Kevin Mullins was dead.

Now Stines is building an insanity defense that includes claims of California encephalitis—a tick-borne illness that can cause confusion and aggression. Whether that's a legitimate diagnosis or a legal strategy remains to be seen. What's clear is that this case is about to get a lot more complicated.

#MickeyStines #JudgeKevinMullins #Letcher County #KentuckySheriff #CourthouseShooting #TrueCrime #InsanityDefense #CaliforniaEncephalitis #TrueCrime2025 #JusticeForMullins

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For more than a year, the murder of Judge Kevin Mullins has haunted Letcher County, Kentucky — not only because a sitting sheriff walked into a judge’s chambers and executed him, but because no one understood why. Sheriff Mickey “Shawn” Stines and Judge Mullins had worked side by side for years. They ate lunch together hours before the shooting. Nothing added up. Until now.

Newly exposed court documents and witness statements paint a devastating picture of Stines in the days leading up to the killing. He had dropped forty pounds in two weeks. He couldn’t sit through a deposition without taking ten breaks. He told staff he was being ordered to hand over money and kill himself or shadowy forces would murder his family. He placed phone calls to relatives who’d been dead for years. Employees said he was in a full psychotic break — but the only intervention was telling him to see his family doctor. The next day, Judge Mullins was dead.

This episode also uncovers the explosive context surrounding the shooting. Days before the murder, Stines was deposed in a federal civil rights case alleging widespread sexual coercion and abuse of power inside the courthouse — a scandal that had already produced a guilty plea from one official. Judge Mullins was named in the lawsuit. Some alleged acts took place in his chambers.

Retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke joins us to break down the behavioral unraveling, the institutional failures, and the systemic corruption surrounding this case. We examine the surveillance footage, the post-arrest bodycam video, and the lawsuit now filed by Mullins’ widow accusing sheriff’s office employees of ignoring the warnings.

Was this murder the act of a man in psychosis — or the violent fallout of a courthouse protecting itself?

Subscribe for full investigative coverage, behavioral analysis, and courtroom updates.

#MickeyStines #KevinMullins #LetcherCounty #KentuckyCase #TrueCrimeNews #CourthouseMurder #RobinDreeke #AbuseOfPower #JusticeSystemFail #HiddenKillers


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For more than a year, this case has haunted a small Kentucky community with one unanswered question: why did Sheriff Mickey Stines walk into Judge Kevin Mullins' chambers and shoot him to death? They'd worked together for years. Stines used to be Mullins' bailiff. They ate lunch together hours before the shooting. None of it made sense. Until now.

Exposed court documents have finally revealed what was happening to Mickey Stines in the days before that shooting, and it paints a picture far more disturbing than anyone outside law enforcement knew. According to witness statements and filings from the defense, Stines had lost forty pounds in two weeks and couldn't explain why. He was taking ten breaks during a routine legal deposition, at one point telling the room he was "having an episode." He told a staffer that an attorney had instructed him to hand over money and kill himself, or shadowy forces would murder his wife and daughter. He made someone put a bulletproof vest on his wife. He was placing phone calls to family members who had been dead for years.

His own employees watched this happen. One told investigators she believed he was in a psychosis. An attorney warned Judge Mullins directly that Stines was "losing it." The local police chief said he'd lost his mind. And the intervention? They told him to see his family doctor.

The next day, Kevin Mullins was dead.

Now the judge's widow has filed a lawsuit against Stines and three sheriff's office employees, claiming they watched her husband's killer unravel and failed to warn him. This week, a judge denied Stines' motion to dismiss the murder indictment and granted a bond hearing. For the first time, we're seeing the full picture of what went wrong, who knew, and why no one stopped it.

#Letcher County #MickeyStines #JudgeKevinMullins #KentuckySheriff #TrueCrime #CourthouseShooting #TrueCrime2024 #CriminalJustice #MentalHealthCrisis #ShawnStines


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In one of the most shocking criminal cases in recent memory, a sitting sheriff walked into a Kentucky courthouse and executed a judge in his own chambers. But this wasn’t a random act of violence — it was the detonation point of a system that had been rotting from the inside out.

On this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we dig into the case of Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines, now indicted for the murder of Judge Kevin Mullins inside the Letcher County Courthouse in 2024. Surveillance captured the whole thing. He walked in. He shut the door. He opened fire.

But this isn’t just about a single shooting. Three days earlier, Stines had been deposed in a federal civil rights case — Adkins v. Fields — alleging rampant sexual coercion, abuse of power, and misconduct inside that same courthouse. One official has already pleaded guilty to rape and sodomy. Others, including Judge Mullins, were named in the lawsuit. Some of the alleged misconduct? Took place inside Mullins’ chambers.

Now, Robin Dreeke, retired FBI Special Agent and former chief of the Bureau’s Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program, joins us to break down the behavioral spiral that may have led a law enforcement officer to kill a judge — and what it reveals about power, silence, and systemic corruption.

We’ll examine post-arrest bodycam footage, explore how intimidation keeps victims quiet, and ask the hard question: Was this murder an act of madness — or of reckoning?

This case isn’t just about Kentucky. It’s about what happens when power protects itself, and justice becomes a commodity. Don’t miss this one.

🔔 Subscribe for more true crime investigations, expert analysis, and courtroom breakdowns.

#HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast #JudgeMurder #ShawnStines #KevinMullins #LetcherCounty #RobinDreeke #CourthouseScandal #AbuseOfPower #JusticeSystemFail

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Three victims. Three abusers. Three systems that looked the other way—until the bodies made it impossible.

In this special 2-hour episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we’re diving into three stories that expose what happens when unchecked power collides with silence, manipulation, and violence.

🔹 PART 1: The Sheriff & The Judge — A Courthouse Murder in Kentucky
 Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines walked into Judge Kevin Mullins' chambers and opened fire. The shooting was caught on surveillance, but the backstory is even darker: civil rights lawsuits, sexual coercion, and a courthouse culture where abuse wasn’t just tolerated — it thrived. With Robin Dreeke, we break down the behavioral collapse that turned a courthouse into a crime scene.

🔹 PART 2: Celeste Rivas & the Tesla Trunk Death — Artist d4vd at the Center
 A teenage girl is found dead in the front trunk of a Tesla tied to rising music star d4vd. She was never reported missing. No arrest. No statement. Just silence. Former FBI profiler Robin Dreeke joins us to analyze the behavior behind the silence — from grooming dynamics to legal distancing — and what the frunk placement reveals psychologically.

🔹 PART 3: Diddy’s Sentencing — Cassie Ventura’s Letter & the Collapse of an Image
 Sean “Diddy” Combs is sentenced to 50 months in federal prison. But the real story happened before the gavel dropped — in Cassie Ventura’s brutal victim impact letter, in the defense’s campaign-style video plea, and in the judge’s refusal to flinch. We walk through the court record, the government's takedown, and the exact moment branding failed.

This isn’t just true crime. This is behavioral analysis, narrative deconstruction, and survivor-centered storytelling — the kind you won’t find in headlines.

🔔 Subscribe now for more deep dives into the darkest corners of power, justice, and the psychological patterns that connect them all.

#HiddenKillers #DiddySentencing #CassieVentura #CelesteRivas #d4vd #SheriffStines #JudgeMullins #TrueCrimePodcast #AbuseOfPower #RobinDreeke

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NEW WITNESS SPEAKS: 'I Was Groped by Judge Mullins — Then He Had Me Charged'

🚨 New and disturbing allegations have surfaced in the case of Judge Kevin Mullins — the Kentucky judge shot and killed in his courthouse chambers by Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines.

One year later, the investigation is no longer just about the murder. It’s about why it happened — and what may have been buried inside that courthouse for years.

In this episode, we uncover explosive new witness interviews. Women are coming forward on camera and on record, describing what they say was a pattern of sexual coercion, retaliation, and courtroom exploitation tied directly to Judge Mullins — and enabled by a system that silenced them at every turn. One woman says Mullins groped her repeatedly while she worked in his office. When she refused his advances, she says he orchestrated criminal charges against her — and told her to turn herself in.

Another witness, already part of a federal civil rights lawsuit, claims she had sex with Mullins in his chambers “more times than I can count” — because she believed it was the only way to stay out of jail and keep her children. That same civil suit, Adkins v. Fields, has already resulted in criminal convictions for another courthouse official — and Mullins’ name is central in the complaint.

All of this came to a head just three days before the shooting, when Sheriff Stines was deposed under oath in the lawsuit. Witnesses say he spiraled in the days after — and then walked into Mullins’ chambers with a gun.

Today, we lay out everything — the surveillance footage, the timeline, the federal lawsuit, the voices of women now refusing to stay silent — and ask: Was this murder the breaking point of a system already cracked by abuse of power?

🔖 Hashtags 
#JudgeMullins #SheriffStines #KentuckyCourthouseShooting #HiddenKillers #SexualCoercion #AbuseOfPower #TrueCrimeInvestigation #RobinDreeke #CourthouseCoverup #AdkinsVFields


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Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fascinating journey through the world of true crime and current events.
    
 Each episode navigates through multiple stories, illuminating their details with factual reporting, expert commentary, and engaging conversation. Tony and his guests discuss each case's nuances, complexities, and human elements, delivering a multi-dimensional understanding to their audience.

 Whether you are a dedicated follower of true crime, or an everyday listener interested in the stories shaping our world, the "Week in Review" brings you the perfect balance of intrigue, information, and intelligent conversation. Expect thoughtful analysis, informed opinions, and thought-provoking discussions beyond the 24-hour news cycle.

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Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fascinating journey through the world of true crime and current events.
    
 Each episode navigates through multiple stories, illuminating their details with factual reporting, expert commentary, and engaging conversation. Tony and his guests discuss each case's nuances, complexities, and human elements, delivering a multi-dimensional understanding to their audience.

 Whether you are a dedicated follower of true crime, or an everyday listener interested in the stories shaping our world, the "Week in Review" brings you the perfect balance of intrigue, information, and intelligent conversation. Expect thoughtful analysis, informed opinions, and thought-provoking discussions beyond the 24-hour news cycle.

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Did Corruption Drive Sheriff Stines to Murder a Judge?

In the second half of this Hidden Killers Live special, Tony Brueski and defense attorney/former prosecutor Eric Faddis explore the darker backdrop of the Mickey Stines case: explosive corruption allegations inside the courthouse. From sexual coercion claims to systemic abuse of power, the discussion asks whether Stine's alleged mental collapse was driven by exposure to a rotten system — or whether he acted with motive and control.

The panel debates the steep uphill battle of an insanity defense, especially with video showing Stines acting methodically in the moments before pulling the trigger. They also analyze the difficulty of investigating corruption in a small community where silence, retaliation, and rumor rule. At stake is more than one man’s fate — this case is becoming a referendum on the credibility of the justice system itself, and whether the community can trust its own courts again.

Hashtags:
#MickeyStines #EricFaddis #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #TrueCrimePodcast #CourthouseCorruption #InsanityDefense #JudgeMullins #KentuckyTrueCrime #JusticeSystem

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Sheriff Mickey Stines: Paranoia, Shooting, and Grand Jury Secrets
In this explosive first half, Hidden Killers Live unpacks the case of Sheriff Mickey Stines — the Kentucky lawman who shocked his community by shooting Judge Kevin Mullins inside his own chambers. Tony Brueski, Stacy Cole, Todd Michaels, and defense attorney/former prosecutor Eric Faddis break down newly unsealed grand jury transcripts that reveal key evidence was withheld, including a mental health diagnosis the day before the shooting.

The team dissects raw footage of Stines in the courthouse hallway, showing a paranoid, unstable man immediately after the crime. They also examine how the secretive grand jury process may have denied jurors crucial information, why jail intake records describing Stines as “actively psychotic” matter, and how community rumors risk poisoning a fair trial. This segment explores the psychological unraveling of a sheriff — and whether justice itself was compromised before the trial even began.

Hashtags:
#MickeyStines #EricFaddis #HiddenKillers #TonyBrueski #TrueCrimePodcast #JudgeMullins #GrandJury #CourthouseMurder #MentalHealthDefense #TrueCrime

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A lawyer told Judge Kevin Mullins directly that Sheriff Mickey Stines was falling apart. Said he couldn't take the pressure. Said he needed a mental health evaluation. Mullins had worked with Stines for years — Stines was his bailiff before becoming sheriff. They had lunch together the day of the shooting. Hours later, Mullins was dead in his own chambers.

Both men were tied to a lawsuit alleging sexual exploitation by Stines' deputies — misconduct that allegedly occurred in Mullins' chambers. Stines gave a deposition in that case days before the killing. It was described as tense. Fifteen months later, still no official motive from prosecutors.

Former FBI Behavioral Analysis Program Chief Robin Dreeke spent decades studying how trust becomes a vulnerability. How people dismiss threats from familiar faces. How secrets between powerful people become leverage. And what happens when someone who belongs somewhere — someone with a badge, a title, years of institutional trust — becomes the threat nobody sees coming.

Today he breaks down what went wrong in Letcher County. The warning signs that were visible. The pressure dynamics that may have driven Stines to the breaking point. And why institutions keep failing to act when the danger comes from one of their own.

#MickeyStines #KevinMullins #RobinDreeke #FBI #SheriffStines #CourthouseShooting #LetherCounty #TrueCrime #BehavioralAnalysis #LawEnforcement

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice.

Charlie Kirk Assassination & Steins Courthouse Shooting — Full Psychological & Legal Breakdown  
In this Hidden Killers Live full-episode special, we bring you two of the most disturbing cases rocking America right now — the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the courthouse murder of Judge Kevin Mullins by Sheriff Mickey Stines.

First Half — The Assassination of Charlie Kirk (with Psychotherapist Shavaun Scott):

• Segment 1: Shockwaves of Kirk’s killing and why it feels psychologically different from other political violence.
  
  
• Segment 2: The neuroscience of polarization and why America seems addicted to rage and division.
  
  
• Segment 3: Conspiracy theories, hopelessness, and collective trauma after the assassination, capped by FBI press conference updates.
  
  

Second Half — The Sheriff Mickey Stines Courthouse Murder (with Defense Attorney Eric Faddis):

• Segment 4: Inside the shooting — Stine’s paranoia caught on tape and the explosive leak of grand jury transcripts revealing withheld mental health evidence.
  
  
• Segment 5: Corruption allegations inside the courthouse, the steep uphill battle of an insanity defense, and what’s at stake for the justice system itself.
  
  

This episode blends psychological insight with legal analysis to examine not just two shocking crimes — but what they reveal about a country on edge, the systems meant to protect it, and the fragile trust holding it all together.

Hashtags:
#CharlieKirk #MickeyStines #HiddenKillers #ShavaunScott #EricFaddis #TrueCrimePodcast #PoliticalViolence #CourthouseMurder #InsanityDefense #TonyBrueski

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Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fascinating journey through the world of true crime and current events.
    
 Each episode navigates through multiple stories, illuminating their details with factual reporting, expert commentary, and engaging conversation. Tony and his guests discuss each case's nuances, complexities, and human elements, delivering a multi-dimensional understanding to their audience.

 Whether you are a dedicated follower of true crime, or an everyday listener interested in the stories shaping our world, the "Week in Review" brings you the perfect balance of intrigue, information, and intelligent conversation. Expect thoughtful analysis, informed opinions, and thought-provoking discussions beyond the 24-hour news cycle.

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Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fascinating journey through the world of true crime and current events.
    
 Each episode navigates through multiple stories, illuminating their details with factual reporting, expert commentary, and engaging conversation. Tony and his guests discuss each case's nuances, complexities, and human elements, delivering a multi-dimensional understanding to their audience.

 Whether you are a dedicated follower of true crime, or an everyday listener interested in the stories shaping our world, the "Week in Review" brings you the perfect balance of intrigue, information, and intelligent conversation. Expect thoughtful analysis, informed opinions, and thought-provoking discussions beyond the 24-hour news cycle.

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Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fascinating journey through the world of true crime and current events.
    
 Each episode navigates through multiple stories, illuminating their details with factual reporting, expert commentary, and engaging conversation. Tony and his guests discuss each case's nuances, complexities, and human elements, delivering a multi-dimensional understanding to their audience.

 Whether you are a dedicated follower of true crime, or an everyday listener interested in the stories shaping our world, the "Week in Review" brings you the perfect balance of intrigue, information, and intelligent conversation. Expect thoughtful analysis, informed opinions, and thought-provoking discussions beyond the 24-hour news cycle.

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Sheriff Stines & Judge Mullins EXPOSED Murder & Corruption REVEALED
This is the full breakdown of one of the most shocking scandals in recent memory: the murder of Judge Kevin Mullins by Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines — and the avalanche of allegations that followed.

On September 19th, 2024, Stines shot Mullins inside his chambers, just minutes after sharing lunch. The killing was caught on courthouse surveillance. But the story didn’t end there. It only began.

In the aftermath, women came forward alleging Judge Mullins coerced them into sexual encounters in exchange for leniency, custody, or freedom. One victim, Tia Adams, told NewsNation she had sex with Mullins “countless times” and described it as humiliating and impossible to refuse.

Then came the jailhouse revelations. A former guard claimed the local jail operated like “a brothel” — with guards and supervisors allegedly exploiting inmates, rewarding them with cigarettes or commissary for sex. She alleged Judge Mullins himself invited her to sex parties with higher-ups.

In this extended episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, I’m joined by psychotherapist Shavaun Scott to break down the psychology of coercion, the normalization of corruption, and the devastating impact on victims and communities. We also ask: Was Sheriff Stines protecting himself, or lashing out against a system he knew was rotten?

This is the full story — murder, scandal, and the deep questions about whether justice can survive in a system accused of betraying its own people.


#SheriffStines #JudgeMullins #ScandalExposed #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #Corruption #JailhouseExposed #Whitesburg #SexForFavors #TrueCrimePodcast
 
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Jail Guard Speaks Out: Judge Mullins Invited Me to Sex Parties

The courthouse may not have been the only place corruption thrived. A former jail guard told NewsNation’s Brian Entin that the Letcher County jail was “basically a brothel.” She alleged supervisors took inmates home, guards pressured women, and Judge Mullins himself invited her to late-night “parties” with other higher-ups.

Other allegations claim inmates were rewarded with cigarettes, commissary, or extra time outside their cells in exchange for sex. These claims, while unproven in court, paint a disturbing picture of systemic abuse where exploitation was treated as “normal.”

In this episode, I’m joined by psychotherapist Shavaun Scott to explore what happens psychologically when corruption is normalized at a community level. How do group dynamics silence dissent? How does trauma multiply when victims know the community sees and does nothing? And what does it mean for Sheriff Stines to face trial in the same county, under the shadow of these allegations?

We also examine broader problems in America’s prison and jail systems — where oversight is weak, abuse often goes unchecked, and the vulnerable are left unprotected.

If even some of these allegations are true, this isn’t about a bad apple. It’s about an orchard poisoned from the inside.

#JailhouseExposed #JudgeMullins #SheriffStines #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #PrisonAbuse #Corruption #Whitesburg #SexScandal #CoverUp

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Judge Kevin Mullins EXPOSED: S-for-Favors Scandal REVEALED
The murder of Judge Kevin Mullins by Sheriff Shawn Stines didn’t end the story — it blew the lid off a scandal. In the weeks after, women stepped forward with disturbing allegations: that Judge Mullins coerced them into sexual acts in exchange for leniency, avoiding jail, or even custody of their children.

One woman, Tia Adams, told reporter Brian Entin she had sex with Mullins “countless times,” sometimes in his chambers. She described the encounters as humiliating, impossible to refuse, and driven by fear of retaliation. According to her, this wasn’t intimacy — it was coercion, disguised as consent.

Lawsuits and interviews allege that humiliation was part of the judge’s strategy. Victims claimed Mullins threw money at them, degraded them, and warned them to stay silent. The allegations suggest the courthouse wasn’t just corrupted — it was weaponized.

In this episode, psychotherapist Shavaun Scott helps break down the psychology of coercion, trauma bonding, and why victims often doubt themselves after years of abuse. We also examine how communities normalize silence, how victims experience relief when an abuser dies, and why power unchecked becomes exploitation.

None of these allegations have been proven in court, but they raise urgent questions about how justice can survive when the judge himself is accused of being the predator.

#JudgeMullins #SexForFavors #ScandalExposed #TrueCrime #SheriffStines #HiddenKillers #Corruption #Coercion #VictimsSpeak #Whitesburg

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Sheriff Stines BREAKING POINT: Murder of Judge Mullins EXPLAINED
On September 19th, 2024, Whitesburg, Kentucky was rocked by a killing that stunned the country. Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines shot and killed his longtime friend, Judge Kevin Mullins, inside Mullins’ own chambers — just minutes after the two had lunch together. The entire murder was caught on courthouse surveillance.

In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, psychotherapist and author Shavaun Scott joins me to analyze one of the strangest crimes in recent memory: a sheriff killing a judge on camera. Was Sheriff Stines insane, or was he pushed to the breaking point by mounting pressure?

Just three days before the killing, Stines sat for a deposition in a civil case tied to corruption and misconduct in his office. Was this murder about protecting himself, silencing secrets, or exposing a system that was already collapsing?

Bodycam footage shows Stines muttering paranoid lines like “you’re going to kill me” after his arrest — yet he surrendered calmly, without resistance. Was this paranoia real, or a legal strategy? And what does it mean when an officer of the law commits violence in the most incriminating way possible — on camera, in the seat of justice itself?

Join us as we break down the shocking murder of Judge Kevin Mullins, Sheriff Shawn Stines’ bizarre behavior, and what it reveals about power, paranoia, and corruption.

#SheriffStines #JudgeMullins #MurderExposed #TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #CourthouseKilling #InsanityDefense #Whitesburg #Corruption #TrueCrimePodcast

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Big Breakdown : Kentucky Sheriff Executes Judge in Courthouse—But Was It Vigilante Justice?

In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we take you deep inside one of the most shocking cases to hit the American justice system in decades—a sitting sheriff walks into a judge’s chambers and pulls the trigger. But was it a breakdown, a hit, or the fallout from a system drowning in its own corruption?

On September 19, 2024, Sheriff Sean “Mickey” Steins shot and killed Judge Kevin Mullins inside the Letcher County courthouse. The murder was caught on surveillance video. No one is questioning whether he did it. The question is: why?

What unfolds next is a twisted tale of alleged courthouse sexual abuse, political backroom deals, federal lawsuits, and a defense strategy shifting between claims of insanity, extreme emotional disturbance, and the fallout of an explosive deposition just three days before the killing.

Joined by defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott, this breakdown dissects the legal tightrope ahead. We explore whether Steins’ mental state qualifies as legally insane or just morally compromised. Was he cracking under guilt, paranoia, or blackmail? Was he protecting his family from threats—or himself from exposure?

We also dig into the broader allegations: Was a courthouse being used for sexual coercion? Did Mullins turn a blind eye—or worse, enable it? And was Steins a whistleblower-turned-vigilante, or part of the very system he tried to destroy?

This case isn’t just about a murder—it’s about how unchecked power, broken oversight, and small-town politics can spiral into violence. If you care about justice, corruption, and the cost of silence, you don’t want to miss this episode.

#JudgeMullins #SeanSteins #LetcherCounty #CourthouseMurder #InsanityDefense #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast #CorruptionInKentucky #SexScandalCoverup #VigilanteJustice
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Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fascinating journey through the world of true crime and current events.
    
 Each episode navigates through multiple stories, illuminating their details with factual reporting, expert commentary, and engaging conversation. Tony and his guests discuss each case's nuances, complexities, and human elements, delivering a multi-dimensional understanding to their audience.

 Whether you are a dedicated follower of true crime, or an everyday listener interested in the stories shaping our world, the "Week in Review" brings you the perfect balance of intrigue, information, and intelligent conversation. Expect thoughtful analysis, informed opinions, and thought-provoking discussions beyond the 24-hour news cycle.
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Before Mickey Stines killed Kevin Mullins, both men were connected to a lawsuit alleging sexual exploitation by Stines' deputies — misconduct that allegedly occurred in Mullins' chambers. Stines gave a deposition in that case days before the shooting. It was described as "tense."

Robin Dreeke spent over twenty years at the FBI studying how entanglement between powerful people becomes dangerous. How secrets function as leverage. What happens when exposure threatens someone who's already on the edge.

This conversation examines the pressure dynamics behind the Stines killing — and asks a question nobody in an official capacity has answered: why hasn't the prosecution told us what drove this?

#MickeyStines #SheriffStines #JudgeKevinMullins #RobinDreeke #FBI #LawEnforcement #Leverage #CriminalJustice

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Bodycam Footage: Sheriff Begs for His Life After Killing Judge in Chambers

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines gunned down Judge Kevin Mullins inside his own courthouse chambers—just days after giving sworn testimony in a lawsuit exposing alleged sexual misconduct, systemic abuse, and backroom corruption. Was it a desperate act of fear? Calculated retaliation? Or the complete psychological collapse of a man under fire? In this episode of Murder in the Morning with Tony Brueski and Stacy Cole, we unpack the courthouse killing that stunned Kentucky, the disturbing bodycam footage captured moments after, and the explosive allegations linking both men to a web of scandal.

#LetcherCounty #ShawnStines #KevinMullins #KentuckyCourthouseShooting #InsanityDefense #CourthouseMurder #BodycamFootage #JudgeKilled 

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The Judge, The Sheriff, and the Chamber of Secrets

The former sheriff says he didn’t murder the judge—his mind did.

That’s the opening line now being argued in a Kentucky courtroom, where former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines stands accused of shooting and killing District Judge Kevin Mullins inside his chambers. This wasn’t some cold, calculated act, his defense insists—it was a mental break, triggered by fear, stress, and a small-town scandal that just might make your jaw hit the floor.

Let’s get one thing straight up front: the entire incident was caught on video. Stines walked into Judge Mullins' office and fired eight shots. That much is undisputed. But what followed is where things get messy—and deeply unsettling.

Stines has pleaded not guilty, and now his attorney, Jeremy Bartley, is laying the groundwork for an insanity defense, saying the ex-sheriff suffered from a mental disease or defect, and was also under "extreme emotional disturbance" when he pulled the trigger. Basically, the defense isn’t arguing about what happened—it’s arguing about why.

And that “why” has roots in something dark. A few days before the shooting, Stines gave a deposition in a case involving one of his former deputies, Ben Fields. That guy? He’d been accused of coercing female inmates into sex—in exchange for staying out of jail. Think "Orange is the New Black," but way less scripted and way more disturbing. One of the accusers, Sabrina Adkins, claimed that she was forced to have sex with Fields for six months… inside the judge’s chambers. Yeah, the same room where the murder would later take place.

According to Bartley, Stines’ deposition forced him to answer some very uncomfortable questions about all of it. And afterward, the sheriff allegedly felt like his entire world was closing in—that his testimony had painted a target on his back. He supposedly feared that the fallout from the deposition would threaten not just his job or reputation, but the lives of his wife and daughter.

That’s not just legal strategy fluff, either. When police arrested Stines after the shooting, he reportedly shouted: “They’re trying to kidnap my wife and kid!” Clearly, in his mind, something had gone very, very wrong.

It’s worth noting that the judge, Kevin Mullins, wasn’t just some random guy in a robe to Stines. They were close—friends, even. They’d known each other since 2009, when Stines served as Mullins’ courtroom bailiff. Over the years, they became lunch buddies, often grabbing wings at the Streetside Grill & Bar down the street from the courthouse. On the day Mullins died, the two had lunch together—same order, same table, same casual vibe.

Then, hours later, Stines entered his office and shot him.

Prosecutors say the shooting seemed to come out of nowhere. But now investigators are digging into another possible motive: jealousy or betrayal. It’s been suggested that Stines may have seen his daughter’s phone number in Mullins’ phone, which allegedly sent him into a tailspin. Surveillance footage shows Stines trying to call his daughter from his phone—and then using the judge’s phone, too. What exactly he saw on that screen remains unclear, but the implication is that whatever he discovered set him off.

CCTV from the courthouse showed Mullins raising his hands in fear, hiding behind his desk, as Stines raised his gun. The whole thing, horrifying as it is, unfolded in seconds. But it was built on years of what the defense claims was accumulating psychological pressure.

Now, Stines’ legal team is leaning hard into the mental health defense. They say they’ll present expert evidence showing that he wasn’t legally responsible for his actions. Bartley says there's even more evidence out there—though he’s keeping it close to the chest for now—that could prove Stines’ state of mind was so fractured, he shouldn't be held criminally liable.

Meanwhile, the larger scandal casts a long shadow. The sex-for-favors scheme tied to Deputy Fields and possibly Judge Mullins has not gone away. Accuser Sabrina Adkins didn’t just name Fields—she claimed Mullins had videotapes of “sexual stuff” happening in his chambers. Mullins never responded to the allegations before his death, and the tapes, if they exist, haven’t surfaced publicly.

Fields, for what it’s worth, was fired by Stines before being arrested and sentenced to six months behind bars. But that did little to erase the cloud of controversy over the courthouse—and now, it's all tangled up in a murder trial.

So here we are: a former sheriff who says he lost his grip on reality, a respected judge dead in his own office, and a community unraveling under the weight of buried secrets. What started as a tight-knit town’s tragic loss has become a psychological crime drama no one saw coming—and no one will forget.

#LetcherCounty #KevinMullins #ShawnStines #CourthouseScandal

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The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK’s Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, The Menendez Brothers: Quest For Justice, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fascinating journey through the world of true crime and current events.
    
 Each episode navigates through multiple stories, illuminating their details with factual reporting, expert commentary, and engaging conversation. Tony and his guests discuss each case's nuances, complexities, and human elements, delivering a multi-dimensional understanding to their audience.

 Whether you are a dedicated follower of true crime, or an everyday listener interested in the stories shaping our world, the "Week in Review" brings you the perfect balance of intrigue, information, and intelligent conversation. Expect thoughtful analysis, informed opinions, and thought-provoking discussions beyond the 24-hour news cycle.
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The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK’s Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, The Menendez Brothers: Quest For Justice, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com

Welcome to the "Week in Review," where we delve into the true stories behind this week's headlines. Your host, Tony Brueski, joins hands with a rotating roster of guests, sharing their insights and analysis on a collection of intriguing, perplexing, and often chilling stories that made the news.
    
 This is not your average news recap. With the sharp investigative lens of Tony and his guests, the show uncovers layers beneath the headlines, offering a comprehensive perspective that traditional news can often miss. From high-profile criminal trials to in-depth examinations of ongoing investigations, this podcast takes listeners on a fascinating journey through the world of true crime and current events.
    
 Each episode navigates through multiple stories, illuminating their details with factual reporting, expert commentary, and engaging conversation. Tony and his guests discuss each case's nuances, complexities, and human elements, delivering a multi-dimensional understanding to their audience.

 Whether you are a dedicated follower of true crime, or an everyday listener interested in the stories shaping our world, the "Week in Review" brings you the perfect balance of intrigue, information, and intelligent conversation. Expect thoughtful analysis, informed opinions, and thought-provoking discussions beyond the 24-hour news cycle.
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The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK’s Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, The Menendez Brothers: Quest For Justice, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com

Did a sheriff just take out a judge to cover his own tracks? That’s the burning question after Sheriff Stines’ shocking execution of Judge Kevin Mullins in broad daylight. But here’s where it gets murky—this wasn’t just an impulsive act of violence. Three days before the shooting, Stines was deposed in a lawsuit that alleged the judge’s chambers were basically functioning as a brothel, coercing incarcerated women into sexual acts with law enforcement.

Was this an act of rage, a moment of justice, or a desperate move to silence a dangerous truth? And let’s not forget—one of Stines’ own deputies was already implicated in this scandal. So was the sheriff trying to take out a villain or erase evidence that could expose his own involvement? The insanity defense is being tossed around, but is he really insane, or just really, really guilty? And if this was about covering up a conspiracy—who else is tangled up in this web?

#TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #JudgeMurder #PoliceCorruption #Scandal #LegalDrama #WhoIsHidingWhat

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The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK’s Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, The Menendez Brothers: Quest For Justice, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com

Did Sheriff Stines Kill to Silence Judge Mullins, Or To Stop Him From Harming Others?
What happens when a sheriff walks into a courthouse and shoots a sitting judge? A cold-blooded act of revenge or a psychological break under extreme emotional distress? That’s the question swirling around this bizarre and deeply tangled case involving a courthouse sex-for-leniency scandal, a deposition that may have held damning secrets, and a sheriff who turned himself in claiming his family was in danger.

Now, the defense is pushing for an insanity plea, but does the evidence support it? Psychotherapist and author Shavaun Scott breaks down what it truly takes for someone to reach a psychological breaking point like this. Was this an unpredictable snap, or was there something much more calculated at play? And just how deep does the corruption run in this courthouse?

#TrueCrime #HiddenKillers #CourthouseScandal #PsychologicalBreak #Corruption #CrimeNews #InsanityDefense

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Despite a video showing what appears to be a cold-blooded murder, the attorney representing former Sheriff Shawn ‘Mickey’ Stines insists there’s more to the case than meets the eye. On September 19, 2024, in the quiet courthouse of Letcher County, Kentucky, Stines allegedly walked into the chambers of District Judge Kevin Mullins and shot him multiple times. The entire incident was captured on surveillance footage, and the images are as damning as they come—Mullins, caught off guard, scrambling to take cover under his desk while Stines keeps firing. But according to defense attorney Jeremy Bartley, what happened in that office wasn’t just the result of a single moment but years of tension, legal battles, and alleged threats.

“It’s extremely complicated,” Bartley told Court TV’s Vinnie Politan, pushing back on the apparent open-and-shut nature of the case. “This isn’t just about what’s seen on the video. There’s a bigger story here.”

At the time of his murder, Mullins was a key figure in a lawsuit involving allegations of sexual misconduct against a deputy who worked in the courthouse. The lawsuit accused former deputy Ben Fields of coercing women on house arrest into sexual favors, with at least one incident allegedly taking place inside Mullins’ own chambers. While Stines wasn’t named as a defendant in the suit, he was questioned under oath just days before the shooting.

“In the week prior to and the week of the deposition, lots of people noticed that Mickey had become more increasingly paranoid, that he became sleepless, had gone nights without sleep, and there was an overwhelming amount of pressure on him,” Bartley said, painting a picture of a man under immense psychological strain. The deposition, combined with what Bartley described as “a number of people very interested in the outcome,” had allegedly put Stines in a heightened state of distress.

Attorney Ned Pillersdorf, who represents the plaintiff in the lawsuit, recalls Stines’ deposition as being out of the ordinary. “It wasn’t your typical deposition of a sheriff in a civil rights case,” Pillersdorf said, describing Stines’ behavior as “odd” but stopping short of speculating on how the lawsuit might connect to the murder. “But having said that, I have no idea why his defense attorney keeps saying that my litigation, the litigation me and my co-counsel are involved in, was somehow a motive in all this. But he keeps saying that.”

Stines’ attorney claims his client truly believed his family was in immediate danger at the time of the shooting. “Was the threat as imminent as he perceived it to be? Maybe not,” Bartley admitted. “But there was an objective threat to his family.”

That’s a major claim—one that raises as many questions as it answers. If Stines was, in fact, paranoid and sleep-deprived leading up to the shooting, how much of his fear was rooted in reality? What exactly did he think Mullins—or anyone else, for that matter—was planning to do to him?

In early March 2025, Bartley filed paperwork indicating that Stines will pursue an insanity defense, arguing that his client was in an extreme emotional state at the time of the shooting. The move isn’t just legal strategy—it’s also practical. “We wanted to get Mickey on the calendar for an evaluation,” Bartley said, explaining that Kentucky’s backlog means psychological evaluations are currently running 12 to 18 months behind.

As the case heads to trial, the legal battle will center not on whether Stines pulled the trigger—that part is indisputable—but on why he did it. Was he, as the video suggests, executing a judge in cold blood? Or was he a man consumed by fear and paranoia, reacting to a perceived threat that only he could see?

One thing is clear: Letcher County lost a judge, a sheriff, and any lingering sense of normalcy in a single, shocking afternoon.

#KentuckyCourthouseShooting #JudgeMullins #ShawnStinesTrial #LegalDrama

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 Could This Sheriff Escape Murder Charges On Judge With an Insanity Defense
 In a case that has shaken Kentucky’s legal system to its core, former Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines is standing trial for the brutal murder of Judge Kevin Mullins—right inside the courthouse where they both held power. But this isn’t just another crime story. Beneath the surface lies a tangled web of corruption, scandal, and long-buried secrets that may have led to this shocking execution. Could this murder have been a desperate act to cover up a courthouse sex scandal? Or was it the breaking point of a man unraveling under immense pressure?
As Stines prepares to argue insanity in his defense, the legal battle ahead is set to be one of the most explosive courtroom showdowns in Kentucky history. The prosecution is pushing for a life sentence—or even the death penalty—while the defense fights to introduce evidence of Mullins’s alleged misconduct. Meanwhile, the entire justice system is under scrutiny, as the case threatens to expose a deeper culture of corruption that may have been ignored for far too long.

In this gripping episode, we take you inside the crime, the scandal, and the trial that could change everything. With expert insights, shocking details, and the latest developments, we break down how this case could impact not just the accused—but the entire justice system itself. Subscribe now and join us as we uncover what really happened inside the halls of power, where justice was meant to be served—but instead, became the scene of a murder.
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Kentucky Ex-Sheriff Faces Murder Charge in Judge’s Killing: Evidence Review Underway

Attorneys prosecuting former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines have reported a “voluminous” amount of evidence in their case, which could take up to six months to thoroughly review. Stines, 44, stands accused of murdering his longtime friend, District Judge Kevin Mullins, in Mullins’ office on September 19, 2024.

During a virtual court hearing, Stines appeared silent and subdued, wearing a gray jumpsuit, while his attorneys addressed Circuit Court Judge Christopher Cohron. Defense attorney Jeremy Bartley stated that the evidence received from prosecutors is extensive and still under review. Prosecutor Jackie Steele added that additional evidence is being tested, estimating that discovery would be completed within four to six months.

The indictment against Stines stems from video footage that allegedly captured him shooting Mullins eight times during a heated exchange inside the judge’s office. The chilling video, presented during an October preliminary hearing, shows Mullins raising his hands in fear and attempting to turn away before being shot. Stines surrendered to authorities without incident shortly after the fatal confrontation and resigned as sheriff 11 days later.

The two men, described as longtime friends, reportedly had lunch together hours before the killing. While investigators have not identified a clear motive, they have suggested that a possible “sex scandal” may have influenced the crime. A grand jury formally indicted Stines on one count of murder of a public official in November 2024.

Judge Cohron, appointed as a special judge for the case, will oversee the proceedings, including future bond discussions. Bartley indicated during the hearing that the defense plans to request a bond for Stines at a later date.

If convicted, Stines could face the death penalty for the killing of Mullins, who was 54 at the time of his death. The case continues to unfold as both sides prepare for what is expected to be a lengthy legal process.

#KentuckyNews #ShawnStines #JudgeMurderCase #LegalUpdates #TrueCrime #JusticeSystem #MurderTrial

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Former Kentucky Sheriff Claims Judge Operated Brothel Amid Murder Trial
The high-profile murder trial of former Kentucky sheriff Shawn Stines has taken a shocking turn as his defense team builds a case alleging that slain U.S. District Judge Kevin Mullins was involved in illicit activities within his chambers. Stines, who was charged with fatally shooting Mullins in his chambers, claims the killing was tied to revelations of corruption and misconduct.

The accusations against Mullins were first brought to light during the criminal investigation of former deputy sheriff Ben Fields. Fields was convicted earlier this year on charges of rape, sodomy, perjury, and tampering with a prisoner monitoring device. As part of that investigation, witness Sabrina Adkins alleged in a police interview that Mullins exchanged legal leniency for sexual favors and allowed his chambers to be used for sexual misconduct.

Adkins detailed her claims in an audio recording obtained by NewsNation. "He does have some videotapes of some stuff in the judge’s chambers," she said. "Just with girls, sexual and stuff. I’ve seen one partly." She further alleged that Fields coerced her into performing sexual acts in the judge’s chambers, promising to tamper with her ankle monitor to keep her out of jail.

These allegations form the backbone of a civil lawsuit Adkins filed in January 2022. In the lawsuit, she accused Mullins and Fields of using the judge’s chambers as a location to carry out assaults and other illicit activities. “There were no cameras,” the lawsuit stated, describing the chambers as a secluded area exploited by those in positions of power.

Three days before the fatal shooting, Stines, a longtime friend of Mullins, was deposed in Adkins’ lawsuit. His attorney, Jeremy Bartley, has indicated that Adkins’ allegations and the findings from Fields’ case are central to the defense. “This is a large story. It’s a story that, in some ways, is difficult to tell,” Bartley said during a recent court hearing. He described the accusations against Mullins as “crucial” to understanding Stines’ actions.

Adkins’ lawsuit further alleges that Fields used his authority as a deputy sheriff to intimidate her and others into compliance. The chambers, she claims, became a hub for illegal activities due to their lack of surveillance. “Fields assaulted me there more than once, and Mullins knew,” Adkins wrote in her lawsuit.

Fields’ conviction earlier this year has already exposed significant corruption within the local justice system. Now, with the murder of Mullins, the spotlight has intensified on the alleged abuse of power by judicial officials. The revelations have sparked national discussions about systemic corruption and the unchecked authority of public servants.

Stines remains in custody, and his trial is expected to delve deeper into the disturbing allegations surrounding Judge Mullins. The case continues to draw national attention, as it raises broader questions about the integrity of the judicial system and the lengths to which individuals might go to expose corruption.

#CorruptionScandal #KentuckyNews #JudgeMisconduct #ShockingRevelations #JusticeSystemReform #HighProfileTrial #BreakingNews

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He had a badge. He had access. He had years of history with the man he killed. Nobody stopped Mickey Stines because nobody thought they needed to.

Retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke — former head of the Bureau's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program — breaks down what this case should teach every courthouse and law enforcement agency in America. When the threat comes from someone with legitimate authority, how do you see it? When a colleague is deteriorating, what triggers action? And why do the people closest to danger so often fail to recognize it?

#MickeyStines #SheriffStines #JudgeKevinMullins #RobinDreeke #FBI #LawEnforcement #CourthouseSecurity #CriminalJustice

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Could a scandal of this magnitude unravel the entire judicial system in Letcher County, Kentucky? Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines faces murder charges amidst whispers of the death penalty, but the drama doesn’t stop there. Allegations of a judge exchanging leniency for sexual favors and systemic corruption are bubbling to the surface. The courtroom gossip reaches a fever pitch as questions about who knew what—and when—add layers of intrigue. If even a fraction of these allegations prove true, the implications could topple cases spanning years. How does a system untangle itself when the rot runs so deep?

And just when you think the courtroom theatrics couldn’t get darker, we shift to the house of Diddy. Civil allegations against Christian Combs open a disturbing window into alleged abuse, privilege, and entitlement. Is a warped upbringing an excuse for grotesque behavior, or just another layer of tragedy in this twisted legacy?

Can justice truly prevail when wealth and influence muddy the waters?

#TrueCrime #JudicialCorruption #HiddenKillers #ShawnStines #DiddyScandal #DarkLegacies #CourtroomDrama

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The high-profile murder trial of former Kentucky sheriff Shawn Stines has taken a shocking turn as his defense team builds a case alleging that slain U.S. District Judge Kevin Mullins was involved in illicit activities within his chambers. Stines, who was charged with fatally shooting Mullins in his chambers, claims the killing was tied to revelations of corruption and misconduct.

The accusations against Mullins were first brought to light during the criminal investigation of former deputy sheriff Ben Fields. Fields was convicted earlier this year on charges of rape, sodomy, perjury, and tampering with a prisoner monitoring device. As part of that investigation, witness Sabrina Adkins alleged in a police interview that Mullins exchanged legal leniency for sexual favors and allowed his chambers to be used for sexual misconduct.

Adkins detailed her claims in an audio recording obtained by NewsNation. "He does have some videotapes of some stuff in the judge’s chambers," she said. "Just with girls, sexual and stuff. I’ve seen one partly." She further alleged that Fields coerced her into performing sexual acts in the judge’s chambers, promising to tamper with her ankle monitor to keep her out of jail.

These allegations form the backbone of a civil lawsuit Adkins filed in January 2022. In the lawsuit, she accused Mullins and Fields of using the judge’s chambers as a location to carry out assaults and other illicit activities. “There were no cameras,” the lawsuit stated, describing the chambers as a secluded area exploited by those in positions of power.

Three days before the fatal shooting, Stines, a longtime friend of Mullins, was deposed in Adkins’ lawsuit. His attorney, Jeremy Bartley, has indicated that Adkins’ allegations and the findings from Fields’ case are central to the defense. “This is a large story. It’s a story that, in some ways, is difficult to tell,” Bartley said during a recent court hearing. He described the accusations against Mullins as “crucial” to understanding Stines’ actions.

Adkins’ lawsuit further alleges that Fields used his authority as a deputy sheriff to intimidate her and others into compliance. The chambers, she claims, became a hub for illegal activities due to their lack of surveillance. “Fields assaulted me there more than once, and Mullins knew,” Adkins wrote in her lawsuit.

Fields’ conviction earlier this year has already exposed significant corruption within the local justice system. Now, with the murder of Mullins, the spotlight has intensified on the alleged abuse of power by judicial officials. The revelations have sparked national discussions about systemic corruption and the unchecked authority of public servants.

Stines remains in custody, and his trial is expected to delve deeper into the disturbing allegations surrounding Judge Mullins. The case continues to draw national attention, as it raises broader questions about the integrity of the judicial system and the lengths to which individuals might go to expose corruption.

#CorruptionScandal #KentuckyNews #JudgeMisconduct #ShockingRevelations #JusticeSystemReform #HighProfileTrial #BreakingNews

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In Letcher County, Kentucky, the scandalous tale of former deputy Ben Fields, convicted of using his authority to exploit female inmates, seemed shocking enough. But when District Judge Kevin Mullins was fatally shot by Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines in his own chambers, the case took a darker turn. Allegations of secret recordings, judicial misconduct, and power plays have exposed a seedy underbelly of the justice system.

As new revelations emerge about Mullins’ alleged illicit activities, including manipulating cases for personal gain, the focus shifts to the potential complicity of others in the courthouse. Did the sheriff act out of a sudden, heated realization, or was he protecting his family from something far more sinister? With a federal lawsuit and explosive evidence surfacing, every verdict and sentence tied to Mullins is now under scrutiny.

Is this a case of justice served, or has a deeper corruption yet to be uncovered?

#TrueCrime #JudicialCorruption #HiddenKillers #BenFields #KevinMullins #ShawnStines #JusticeOrRevenge

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New allegations have surfaced linking the late District Judge Kevin Mullins to a sex-for-favors scandal following his murder in September. Former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. "Mickey" Stines, accused of fatally shooting Mullins in his courthouse chambers, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and murder of a public official.

Audio recordings obtained by NewsNation suggest Mullins may have been involved in sexual misconduct within his chambers. The recordings stem from an investigation into former Deputy Sheriff Ben Fields, convicted earlier this year of rape and sodomy involving a female inmate in 2022.

“He does have some videotapes of some stuff in the judge’s chambers… just with girls, sexual and stuff,” Sabrina Adkins said in the recordings. Adkins, who has spoken publicly about Fields’ alleged abuses of power, claims to have seen a video involving Mullins.

Adkins described the footage to investigators, saying, “I seen Judge Mullins having sex with a girl... in his office, in the judge’s chambers.” She asserted that Mullins was part of an illicit arrangement granting favorable treatment, including bail, in exchange for sexual acts.

Adkins’ attorney, Ned Pillersdorf, told NewsNation, “It’s like they were running a brothel out of that courtroom.”

The allegations date back to 2021 when Adkins, under house arrest, informed Fields she could not afford to pay for her ankle monitor. According to her lawsuit, Fields suggested they could "work something out." Adkins and another woman later filed a civil rights lawsuit against Fields in 2022, alleging abuse of power.

Fields, who was fired by Stines after the lawsuit was filed, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months in jail. Stines was also named in the lawsuit for allegedly failing to properly train or supervise Fields.

Days before Mullins’ death, Stines was deposed in the ongoing civil lawsuit. He denied knowledge of any misconduct. However, Adkins’ claims implicate both Fields and Mullins in a broader scheme of corruption.

Mullins served as a judge for 15 years before his death. Stines, arrested at the courthouse shortly after Mullins’ killing, faces severe charges. Despite the mounting allegations, Stines has maintained his innocence.

The investigation into the case continues, with the newly surfaced recordings raising questions about the extent of misconduct in Letcher County’s judicial system.

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