An appellate stay has intensified a dispute over psychiatric evidence as Shawn Stines awaits trial in the killing of District Judge Kevin Mullins.
WHITESBURG, Ky. — More than two years after District Judge Kevin Mullins was killed inside his courthouse chambers, a dispute over the mental state of former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines has emerged as one of the central issues delaying the case from reaching trial.
Stines, who has pleaded not guilty to murder, plans to present evidence concerning his mental condition and criminal responsibility at the time of the Sept. 19, 2024, shooting. That strategy has led to competing arguments over psychiatric examinations, sealed records and how far prosecutors may go in developing evidence to rebut the defense. The Kentucky Court of Appeals has now temporarily stopped a second examination while it considers a defense challenge.
Authorities say Mullins was killed in his chambers at the Letcher County Courthouse, where Stines was serving as sheriff. Surveillance video from the courthouse recorded the shooting. Stines surrendered afterward and has remained jailed as lawyers have litigated a growing list of issues involving bail, mental health evidence, the trial judge and where the case should ultimately be heard.
The defense formally notified the court in February 2025 that it intended to introduce mental health evidence related to criminal responsibility, guilt or punishment. Stines then underwent an examination through the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center. The report from that assessment was placed under seal, meaning its conclusions have not been publicly disclosed through the court proceedings.
Prosecutors later sought a second evaluation by Indiana psychiatrist George Parker. During a June court hearing, the Commonwealth argued that it was entitled to an additional examination to respond to the mental-health defense. Stines’ lawyers objected, arguing that he had already submitted to the examination requested after he put his mental condition at issue.
Special Judge Christopher Cohron approved another examination in an Aug. 11 order. The defense responded Sept. 30 with a petition asking the Kentucky Court of Appeals for a writ of prohibition, an extraordinary form of relief used to prevent a lower court from taking an action that a challenger contends exceeds its authority or would cause harm that could not later be corrected.
Stines’ attorneys say prosecutors have not identified a methodological error, incomplete testing or another technical flaw in the first examination. They argue that compelling him to participate in another psychiatric interview could expose information protected by the Fifth Amendment and provide additional access to defense strategy. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have maintained that they are entitled to develop evidence to rebut the mental-health claims Stines plans to present.
The distinction is important because the defense has not argued that Stines is currently incompetent to stand trial. Instead, his lawyers have focused on his mental condition at the time of the shooting and have indicated that mental-health evidence will be used to address his criminal responsibility. Competency concerns whether a defendant can understand court proceedings and assist in a defense, while criminal-responsibility arguments concern a defendant’s mental state in connection with the alleged offense.
The mental-health dispute is unfolding alongside other unresolved trial preparations. Cohron has determined that the trial should be moved from Letcher County amid concerns about publicity and the ability to seat an impartial jury, but the eventual trial location remains unsettled. Stines has also pursued bail and unsuccessfully sought Cohron’s removal from the case. No trial date has been set.
The Court of Appeals granted a temporary stay Oct. 9, halting enforcement of the second-examination order while the judges consider Stines’ petition. The appellate court said the pause should not significantly disrupt the case because a trial date has not been scheduled. The stay does not disclose the findings of the first psychiatric examination and does not determine whether Stines’ planned mental-health defense will succeed.
The next step is for the appellate panel to decide whether the second examination may proceed. Until that question and other pretrial matters are resolved, Stines remains in custody and the murder charge against him remains pending.
Author note: Last updated October 21, 2026.