KY, Judge Kevin Mullins killed, sheriff arrested, Letcher County courthouse shooting - Sep. 19, 2024 MEDIA, MAPS, & TIMELINE**NO DISCUSSION**

12/12/25

On Thursday, Special Judge Christopher Cohron scheduled a hearing in Letcher Circuit Court for 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 18. The hearing is intended to get an update on where the case stands from the prosecution and defense attorneys, as well as to hear all pending motions.

The only motions that are currently pending before the court are a defense request to set bond and a prosecution motion to move the trial to somewhere besides Letcher County or any of the counties surrounding it. However, additional motions could be filed prior to next week’s hearing.

9/2/25

In their motion, prosecutors argue that it would be impossible to have a fair trial in Letcher County, as both Stines and Mullins were elected officials.

“Every eligible voter in Letcher County either had a reason to vote for or against the defendant and victim at one time,” the motion says. “The preconceived opinions as to the character and ability of these two men is likely to irreconcilably prejudice both the Commonwealth and the defendant if this trial takes place in Letcher County.”

In addition, the motion says the amount of pretrial publicity the case has received has also had an effect.

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As evidence, prosecutors included 53 pages of news articles from local and national sources, as well as their comment sections.

The judge will need to rule on the request, after defense attorneys have a chance to respond.

A full copy of the motion follows: [see MSM link above].

12/30/25


“The undersigned has known the presiding judge as a former prosecutor and as a judge and does not seek his recusal lightly,” attorneys Jeremy and Kerri Bartley write in the motion. “However, the eyes of the world have been upon this litigation. The visual optics in this case must demonstrate impartiality.”

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“The presiding judge [Cohron] did not disclose this fact to the parties, despite the close connection in time to the events at issue, leading to an appearance of impropriety,” the motion reads.

The motion goes on to say that the fact that the two judges served on the same committee would not normally be sufficient to seek a recusal, but other events in the case suggest bias. In particular, the motion points to Cohron disallowing the use of Stines’ psychiatric report in an upcoming bond hearing.

“At this point, there has been no legal basis as support for the refusal to unseal the [psychiatric] report,” the motion reads. “While that issue is one to be addressed further at a later date, the objective observer would rationally believe there is inherent bias from the video and this would lead the judge to prohibit this normally admissible report from coming into evidence.”

A copy of the motion follows: please reference MSM link above for pdf document.

UPCOMING COURT DATES....

RE: ADKINS V FIELDS, ET AL
Case: 7:22-cv-00007-REW-EBA

District Court, E.D. Kentucky​

DATE FILED: 10/27/25
DOCKET ENTRY NO: ECF NO. 170

Description​

ORDER: Court ORDERS as follows: 1. NLT December 19, 2025, each party file with Clerk and provide opposing counsel a copy of following, each filed as a separate document: a. a witness list; b. list of appropriately identified exhibits; c. pretrial memorandum; d. copy of agreed proposed jury instructions; e. At time of PTC, counsel shall submit an agreed and neutral statement of case; f. If a party wishes to submit proposed voir dire questions, counsel shall, by pretrial, file the questions. 2. NLT January 13, 2026, counsel shall file with Clerk and provide to opposing counsel copy of any motions in limine and detailed objections to use of any witness, document, or thing identified pursuant to Rule 26(a)(3). Responses NLT January 27, 2026. 3. Court SCHEDULES a Final Pretrial Conference for February 24, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in London, Ky. 4. At PTC, counsel shall be prepared to: a-e. 5. Court SCHEDULES jury trial for March 3, 2026, at 8:30a.m., in London, Ky. COR and all parties present by 8:00 a.m. Court allots no more than four days for trial. Signed by Judge Robert E. Wier on 10/27/2025. (RCB)cc: COR,LonCD,JC (Entered: 10/27/2025)

Pdf COPY of ORDER NO. 170, PGS 1-5 available at link below:

3/6/26


Special Judge Christopher Cohron and former Letcher Sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines

Back in December, defense attorneys filed a motion asking the judge to recuse himself from the case, after they received information that Cohron and Mullins sat next to each other at a judicial conference just seven days before Mullins’ death.

But on Friday, Cohron denied the motion and vouched for his impartiality in the case.

“To be sure, Judge Mullins and I shared the legal profession and may, in that regard, be viewed as colleagues,” Cohron wrote in his ruling, “but our nominal, purely professional association is not the degree of relationship which would interfere with my duty to uphold and apply the law and to perform judicial duties fairly and impartially or suggest an appearance of partiality.”

Back in January, the Supreme Court declined to step into the case, leaving the matter for Cohron to decide. However, the high court left the door open for the defense to appeal if Cohron elected to remain on the case.

There’s no word yet on yet on if the defense plans to appeal.

A full copy of the judge’s order is embedded in the MSM link above.

U.S. District Court
Eastern District of Kentucky (London)
CIVIL DOCKET FOR CASE #: 6:26-cv-00004-REW-EBA​

Adkins v. Fields et al Assigned to: Judge Robert E. Wier Referred to: Magistrate Judge Edward B. Atkins Cause: 42:1983 Civil Rights Act

Date Filed: 01/31/2022 Date Terminated: 03/03/2026 Jury Demand: Both Nature of Suit: 550 Prisoner: Civil Rights Jurisdiction: Federal Question

3/3/26 - Docket Entry #267:

MINUTE ENTRY ORDER FOR FINAL PRETRIAL CONFERENCE held on 3/3/2026, Motions terminated: 255 MOTION for Order by Ben Fields Motion Regarding Plaintiffs Social Media filed by Ben Fields. before Judge Robert E. Wier: The Court conducted a brief pretrial conference prior to jury selection. The Court GRANTS Defendant Fields's motion, DE 255 , and bars all parties from posting any trial-related content on social media during the length of the jury trial. That prohibition ends with the conclusion of trial. Plaintiff, citing no authority, objected generally to the jury pool. The Court engaged in an academic discussion with the parties on the matter. The Court OVERRULED the objection for record stated reasons. After a short break, and as the jury pool came up to the Courtroom, the parties announced that they had reached a settlement agreement.

They (all counsel and all parties) confirmed on the record agreement to all material terms. The parties will be ordered to split the jury costs as stated on the record (as warned about at the PTC).

The Court ORDERS as follows:
1. The Clerk is directed to issue a Show Cause Order for juror numbers 206 and 242 for their failure to appear as directed.
2. The Court will issue a separate Order assigning jury costs between the parties. This shall be paid within 30 days from the date of the Order.
3. The Court DIRECTS the parties to file an agreed order(s) of dismissal finally concluding the case by no later than April 3, 2026. 4. The Clerk is directed to administratively close this case and strike it from the active docket. (Court Reporter Kimberley Keene.) Signed by Judge Wier. (JCP)cc: COR (Entered: 03/03/2026)

3/3/26 --DOCKET Entry #268:

ORDER: Plaintiff Sabrina Adkins, Defendant Ben Fields, and Defendant Letcher County Sheriff's Office are hereby ORDERED to pay the costs of the jury, which total $3,880.23 ($1,900.00 for attendance and $1,980.23 for mileage). Plaintiff owes half and Defendants together owe half. Defendants may not disburse settlement funds to Plaintiff until both sides have paid the total. The parties shall tender payment to the Clerk of the Court no later than April 3, 2026. Signed by Judge Robert E. Wier on 3/3/2026.(JCP)cc: COR (Entered: 03/03/2026)

3/10/26 --DOCKET ENTRY #269:

Receipt (600002184) for Jury Fees by Sabrina Adkins re 268 Order: Payment received 3/10/2026 in the amount of $1940.12. (JCP) (Entered: 03/10/2026)

Such a weird case.

3/3/26

A former Eastern Kentucky court security guard accused of exchanging legal leniency in return for sexual favors settled a civil suit the same day his the trial was scheduled to start. Potential jurors were lined up to be selected for the trial when Ben Fields, a former Letcher County deputy, agreed to settle the claims against him.

The civil lawsuit against deputy Fields was filed in January 2022, when Sabrina Adkins alleged Fields, a former certified court security officer, coerced her into having sex with him in a judge’s chambers in exchange for not having to pay her court monitoring fees. The Letcher County Sheriff’s Department was also a defendant in Adkins’ lawsuit. Joe Childers, an attorney for Adkins, confirmed the sheriff’s department and Fields agreed to a settlement Tuesday morning. He did not disclose the terms of the settlement or a dollar amount. However, he said Adkins, who has been sober and in therapy for a year, did not have to relive her trauma.

3/4/26

Four years after a former inmate filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against former court bailiff Ben Fields and the Letcher County Sheriff’s Department, the case has been settled. The case had been scheduled to go to trial Tuesday. A jury had arrived at the courthouse, but the matter was resolved before jurors were seated. Sabrina Adkins sued Fields, then-Sheriff...

3/4/26

LETCHER COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A federal civil lawsuit filed by a Letcher County woman against a sheriff's deputy and the county sheriff's office ended in a settlement on the day jury selection was set to begin, according to court records filed March 3, 2026, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Sabrina Adkins filed the lawsuit against Ben Fields, individually and in his official capacity as a Letcher County Sheriff's deputy, and Billy Jones, the Letcher County Sheriff.

Court records show that as the jury pool was brought into the courtroom, attorneys and all parties announced they had reached a settlement agreement and confirmed on the record agreement to all material terms. The specific terms of the settlement were not disclosed in court documents.

U.S. District Judge Robert E. Wier ordered both sides to split the cost of the jury. Adkins owes half of the total, and the defendants together owe the other half. The court also ordered that settlement funds may not be disbursed to Adkins until both sides have paid their share of jury costs.

LONDON, Ky. — A last-minute settlement has been reached in a lawsuit against a former Letcher County deputy, filed by a woman who had accused him of demanding sex in exchange for favorable treatment.

The case involves Ben Fields, who pleaded guilty in state court to sex crimes while supervising women on home incarceration. Plaintiff Sabrina Adkins had claimed Fields coerced her into a sexual relationship by threatening her freedom if she didn’t comply.

According to court records, potential jurors were in the courtroom for jury selection on Tuesday, when the two sides announced they had reached a settlement.

No details of the settlement have been released.

Fields pleaded guilty to charges of third-degree rape, third-degree sodomy, tampering with a prisoner monitor device and second-degree perjury. He was sentenced to serve six months in jail for the crimes.



Ben Fields

3/4/26

WHITESBURG, Ky. (FOX 56) — On the day a jury trial was to begin, a lawsuit implicating a slain Kentucky judge’s involvement in a “sex‑for‑favors” ring was quietly settled.

In 2022, two women filed a lawsuit accusing former Letcher County deputy sheriff Ben Fields of forcing them to have sex inside Judge Kevin Mullins’ chambers for six months in exchange for staying out of jail. Fields was indicted later that year and pleaded guilty to the charges in 2024.

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FOX 56 has reached out to Adkins’ legal counsel to learn more about the details of the settlement.

On Wednesday, Attorney Joe Childers said that there were two separate settlements: one with the Letcher County Sheriff’s Office for $300,000 and one with Ben Fields for an undisclosed amount.

“My client was very happy with the settlement, and is relieved to put this traumatic chapter of her life behind her,” Childers said.

2/11/26

(WKYT) - Defense attorneys for former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines are seeking to remove the death penalty as a sentencing option in his murder trial.

Stines was accused in 2024 of shooting and killing District Judge Kevin Mullins.

His attorneys filed a court motion requesting a judge determine their client has a serious mental illness or serious intellectual disability.

Either determination would prevent a jury from imposing a death sentence under Kentucky law.

4/1/2026


WHITESBURG, Ky. (Court TV) — Less than a month after his original request was denied, former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines is fighting to have the judge removed from his case.

4/1/2026