Former Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines is fighting to remove the judge overseeing his murder trial — and the reason involves a video that was never supposed to surface. According to a defense motion filed December 29th, Special Judge Christopher Cohron appeared in footage from a Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health meeting held September 12th, 2024. In that video, the defense claims, Cohron sat inches from District Judge Kevin Mullins for roughly two hours. Mullins' widow was also in attendance. Seven days later, Mullins was dead — shot by Stines in his courthouse chambers.

The defense argues Cohron never disclosed this to the parties, creating what they call "an appearance of impropriety." In a case where Stines' entire defense rests on his mental state — insanity, extreme emotional disturbance, documented psychosis — having a judge with an undisclosed personal connection to the victim raises serious questions about impartiality.

Cohron has already ruled against the defense on several key motions. He denied their attempt to unseal Stines' psychiatric evaluation. He blocked them from introducing that evaluation at the upcoming bond hearing. The defense is now connecting those decisions to what they discovered in the video.

Under Kentucky law, judges must recuse themselves when their impartiality might reasonably be questioned. The Bartleys are betting this video clears that bar. If Cohron disagrees, they can escalate to the Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Stines has been jailed for fifteen months. No bond. No trial date. And now, no clarity on who will even judge this case.

#MickeyStines #SheriffStines #JudgeKevinMullins #KentuckySheriff #LawEnforcement #JudgeRecusal #LetherCounty #CourthouseShooting #CriminalJustice #TrueCrime

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