LETCHER COUNTY, Ky. (Court TV): The Kentucky judge overseeing the murder trial of a onetime sheriff accused of gunning down a judge in his own chambers said he will likely agree to move the matter to a different jurisdiction.
Eighth Circuit Court Judge Christopher Cohron told lawyers for both the Commonwealth of Kentucky and defendant Shawn “Mickey” Stines that while he would take the state’s venue change request under consideration, he was highly likely to grant it.
Left to right: Judge Christopher Cohron, Shawn ‘Mickey’ Stines participate in a hearing on June 5, 2026 (CourtTV).
“This is a unique situation, to say the least,” Cohron told the parties — including Stines, who sat at the defense table for the entire hearing — on Friday morning. Stines is accused of murdering District Judge Kevin Mullins in his chambers on Sept. 19, 2024.
The judge added that he would be “hard pressed” to keep the case in Letcher County, expressing concern over finding a different jurisdiction that was far enough away to be fair but still convenient for jurors to attend.
Prosecutors have said they want the case moved due to the massive amount of local media attention the incident has brought to the mountain town. At Friday’s hearing, local attorney Jamie Hatton testified that much of the community had taken sides in the matter, suggesting that pulling together an impartial jury may be nearly impossible.
Defense lawyers, meanwhile, urged the judge to allow the parties to at least try to get a fair jury through the voir dire process, but Cohron seemed skeptical.
“I cannot fathom the thought of reasonably being able to obtain a jury in Letcher County with the amount of coverage the case has received,” the judge said. “It seems very clear that you’ve got a very decisive situation, where you have ‘Team Stines’ and ‘Team Mullins,’ and these are some intractable positions that would make picking any jury in Letcher county all but impossible.”
Although Stines’ legal team opposed the change-of-venue motion, it had previously tried to get Cohron off the case. In December, defense lawyers filed a motion requesting that Cohron recuse himself from the matter. That motion centered on a September 12, 2024, video from a Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health meeting that shows Cohron and Mullins sitting at an event, “inches apart for approximately two hours.”
The meeting occurred just seven days before Stines allegedly shot and killed Mullins in his chambers. The Kentucky Supreme Court denied the request in April.
Cohron also heard arguments from the parties over the details of a possible mental health evaluation for Stines, as well as a defense request for Stines to be released on bond, which prosecutors opposed.
As with the venue motion, the judge said he would take the other motions “under advisement,” but he signaled that Stines was not likely to walk out of jail anytime soon.
Cohron said that he “would not entertain” the notion of a $50,000 bond, and that if he did decide to issue a bond, it would be “much more significant than that.” Stines’ aunt, Sherri Stines, testified that Stines would be welcome to stay with her should he be released.
