Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Unexpected Twist in Mickey Stines Hearing

Episode Date: December 18, 2025

Former Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines was in court Thursday as a special judge was set to consider a list of pending motions in his murder trial for the shooting death of Judge Kevin Mullins. The Commonwealth has asked for a change of venue and Stines was hoping to be granted bail. But special Judge Christopher Cohron adjourned the hearing just as it began only saying that it was important that the case was handled correctly. Law&Crime's Angenette Levy looks at what possibly could have happened in this episode of Crime Fix —a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW:If you’re ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can submit a claim in 8 clicks or less without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: https://www.forthepeople.com/CrimeFix Host:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Guest: Mark WeaverProducer:Jordan ChaconCRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Mickey Steins, the former sheriff accused of murdering a judge in his chambers, was expected in court, but then a big change. Procedurally, before we move forward, due to the nature of the case, we want to make sure it's done correctly. I look at the mystery surrounding the sudden cancellation of a major. major hearing for Mickey Steins. I'm Ann Jeanette Levy, and this is crime fix. You know, there's a reason that Morgan and Morgan is America's largest personal injury law firm. It's because they fight for their clients and they win a lot in court. The firm has more than

a thousand lawyers that have recovered $25 billion for more than 500,000 clients. In the last few months. A client in Florida got $12 million when the insurance company offered just $350,000. In Pennsylvania, another client won $26 million. That was 40 times the insurers offer. Morgan and Morgan makes it really easy to fight for what you deserve. You can even start a claim from your phone. So if you are ever injured, you can start a claim at for the people.com slash crime fix. Click the link below or scan that QR code that you see right there on your screen. Sean Stein shot and killed his longtime friend and former boss, Judge Kevin Mullins, in his chambers more than a year ago. And Stein's was actually back in court today as the judge was scheduled to hear several major motions in the case.

But guess what? That didn't end up happening. And we'll talk about why that hearing ended before it started very shortly. You know, there's really no question about it. The shooting is on video. It's shocking and disturbing. We can't even show the entire thing to you. because it's so incredibly violent. Judge Mullins tried to escape from the gumfire, but he was trapped. There was nowhere for him to go. The question in this case really isn't whether or not Stein's shot and killed Mullins.

We know that he did. At trial, we expect the defense to focus on Stein's mental state at the time of the shooting and whether Stein's is guilty of murder or manslaughter. There could be a couple of different things that go into this defense. We know from body-worn camera footage

after the shooting that Steins appeared really paranoid. Mickey Stines's behavior, it was strange to say the very least. We're not going to hurt you, Mickey. It's like Anthony, I've known you for 20 years. we're not going to hurt you. We're not going to hurt you. We got, that's why we had two-body cams and a digital border run above, I promise you. I ain't got nothing.

I know that, but that ain't what we're worried about, but we just can't talk in the hallway at the courthouse. Plus, there's people looking. We need to go somewhere out of here. Pull my pockets inside out. Is that it ain't? No, no, pull my pockets inside out. Now, guys, y'all don't do me this way. What do you think we're going to do a compliment?

Okay, here. I'm sorry, we're not going to do anything. that's the least of our words bus did you get that other one yeah okay so if we went down to the jail where there's cameras if we all us three walked down there and we was in cameras there if you talk was I mean what what is it you want to explain so if we if we go down to the jail I got my camera on, Clayton's got his camera on, we walk down to the jail where there's cameras going all the time, will you talk to us there? Will you feel safe there? No, I'm not going to feel safe. You may pick your leg up my brother?

I've got carbon monoxide in here. Oh. Come on now. Come on. I can't sit like this. I can't. Come on now. Be fair to me.

We're being good to you, brother. brother you stick your leg up in there come on now guys please don't do this to me please don't do this to me please you want to scoot on over a little bit to the left come on now try to go on over a little bit more that way we don't hit you can you go any bit farther that's something hit you with the door put you put your knee in there my friend hey jason hey bait hey bait can we loosen this up a little or give the window down I'm sorry can we loosening this up a little. Be fire to me, man. Steins' attorney, Jeremy Bartley,

he's repeatedly pointed to Stein's mental health as being a potential issue in the case. I spoke with him about it earlier this year. There's zero doubt that the combination of his mental health, which was

exacerbated by the pressure put on him because of this deposition played a role in what we saw. And within that mental health defense, you really have two things. One, which I've said from the beginning for the preliminary hearing, we think sits the ceiling for the Commonwealth is extreme emotional disturbance, right?

Because that's a partial defense. And that goes to, at the moment he acted, did his emotions become so enraged, disturbed, or inflamed that he acted basically out of control? Now, Bartley asked that a recent mental health evaluation of his client be unsealed, but special judge Christopher Corrin denied that request. Judge Corrin also denied Bartley's request to dismiss the indictment, which really isn't surprising at all. Surrounding all of this is really one question. What was Mickey Stein's thinking at the time that he pulled out his gun and shot Judge Mullins?

Bartley told me this earlier this year. I'm not going to be able to get into what my client has told me. I will tell you that when Mickey entered the judge's chambers, he had, there was no doubt in his mind that his wife and his daughter had been threatened. And based upon what transpired in those chambers, he believed that that threat was in motion. And obedient. I'm assuming because you had said were an imminent threat.

Yeah, he felt that his wife and daughter been taken. We know that Mickey Steins tried to call his daughter from Judge Mullins's chambers that day, and he asked about his daughter after the shooting. I'm going to force you to him. We're not going to force you. If you don't want to talk to this, that's your right, you don't have to. Yeah, Rachel, you're the sheriff. You know, you know, just as much as we do.

if I can see my daughter in person here before you leave is that what you want at the jail at the jail through the screen on the phone I won't see my daughter in person and on the way to the jail the deputies asked Steins about his concerns about his daughter okay Mickey anyway so do you want to talk about it with any time for family, your daughter or anything? Bring a woman to you. Now, don't forget what Jeremy Bartley mentioned earlier. Mickey Steins was under a lot of pressure. He had been deposed in a civil lawsuit,

filed by a woman named Sabrina Atkins days before he shot Judge Mullins. Atkins was suing Steins in Lechard County after she said one of Steins' deputies, Ben Fields, forced her to have sex with him in Judge Mullins' chambers in exchange for help with her GPS monitoring units. that allowed her to be out of jail on bail. Atkins had claimed to investigators with the Kentucky Attorney General's office that she had actually seen videotapes of Judge Mullins having sex with girls. Now, that claim has never been substantiated,

but some women have come forward saying they had sex with Mullins. Mullins' wife is suing Mickey Steins now for wrongful death, and Steins has responded to that lawsuit saying he lacked the mental capacity to form the intent to commit murder. Steins's lawyer said the day before the shooting his doctor had actually diagnosed him with acute stress reaction and evaluations of Steins following the shooting included observations that he was in active psychosis and had been given medication by jail staff. So today, Mickey Steins was back in court so the special judge presiding over the case could hear arguments over many pending motions like the Commonwealth's request for a change of venue. You don't often hear,

about prosecutors making that request. The prosecutors for the Commonwealth believe that's the only way that a fair trial can be had in this case. But then take a look at what happened. Procedurally, before we move forward, due to the nature of the case, we want to make sure it's done correctly

and handled appropriately. So once that issue is addressed, we will reset a date for all pending motions. anything else on behalf of Commonwealth. Whoa, that's pretty crazy. The judge takes the bench and he's up there and suddenly says the hearing we were going to have, we're not having it because we have to make sure the case is done correctly. Before court even started, there was some chatter about a possible affidavit too,

but we don't know the details of that. So to discuss what possibly could have happened down there in Kentucky today, let's bring in Mark Weaver. He's a prosecutor based in Ohio. Also, he sometimes sits as a judge on certain cases. So, Mark, this special judge, you know, assigned to this case because there was a conflict prior with the other judge, potential conflict at least, presiding over this case takes the bench and says, you know what, we were going to have this hearing, but there's something that's come up. And now we have to make sure that this case is handled correctly. I mean, it sounds very cryptic. We don't know yet exactly what went on. So what could what could

this be about? There was some rumbling about a possible affidavit. What could be going on here? Well, I've been a special prosecutor in more than a dozen Ohio counties and some of which border Kentucky. So I know a little bit about sort of small town judicial issues, if you will. And many of my cases have featured special or sometimes called visiting judge. is whenever there's a really big case that happens in a really small county where everybody knows each other, it does make sense to have an outside judge come in. But when that outside judge comes in, he or she is not familiar with the local procedures, may or may not know the local lawyers, and everybody who's worried about whether the case is fair is looking for a way of suggesting

that the judge is not doing things the way they normally do it or that this judge isn't fair or can't be fair to this side or that side. So visiting judges or special judges have a very difficult time coming into a county where everyone is talking about the one big case, as is true in this Kentucky case. Yeah, and everybody in Letcher County at least knows about this case. I mean, that's a small town. You know, that's part of the reason that the Commonwealth, want to change a venue in this case. I mean, it's very rare. I think I can count on one hand or maybe three fingers.

The number of cases where I've ever seen the state, the Commonwealth, you know, whatever you want to call it, the prosecution, come up in court or bring up in a motion. We want to change a venue. That is so rare. Typically, you see the defendant bringing up that they want a change of venue. In this case, the defendant's like,

no, this case needs to stay put. Yeah, that's probably why I've never made a change of venue motion, because I've always been on the prosecution side of things. And you're right, it's more typically a defense motion. Prosecutors tend to like to stay in the county where they're well known. If for no other reason, prosecuting attorneys,

and they're called different things in different states, district attorneys, states attorneys, commonwealth attorneys, prosecutors, They often are elected, and so they know their people, their people know them. Many of the jurors will know that prosecutor coming into the case, and so it is unusual for the prosecution to want to change a venue. Having said that, if in fact this is a county where most people know one another or are related to one another or have other conflicts about the case, I could understand why the prosecutors would want this taken out.

Secondly, if the sentiment in this county is that the sheriff did a good thing by shooting the judge who was alleged to have been involved in some very dastardly behavior, you could see that attitude beginning to form in such a way that it would be hard to get a fair trial either for the Commonwealth or for the defendant. You mentioned earlier that maybe somebody isn't happy with the judge or you know maybe the judge isn't familiar with the local procedures or what have you um you know we don't know exactly what is going on with that but we do know that you know obviously the defense has lost some motions recently they they obviously lost their motion to dismiss the indictment i mean those rarely if ever are successful right but that's just what

defense attorneys do they file these these motions to dismiss indictments um so they lost that they lost a request to unseal the psychiatric evaluation for mickey steins i mean i don't think that that's a big shocker either um they lost that request but um you know could it be that there are some questions about the judge assigned to the case because obviously it's not a local judge This is a judge from another part of the state. Sure. What many of your long crime viewers may not know is a lot gets done back in chambers before the parties come out in front of the cameras. Sometimes that's an oral motion that's got to be put on the record later. Sometimes it's a motion made that's not been made public

yet. And I wouldn't be surprised if each side, the Commonwealth and the defense, has their own theory about why this judge can't be fair or why what the judge is what the judge's rulings in any case suggest that the judge can't be fair. It wouldn't be the first time that someone quarrels with a judge's decision, but when it's a visiting judge, everyone wants to know, is this person going to be somebody who can give us a fair trial? So we never know what's happening behind the scenes unless you're there, but the judge is coming into a tough situation where everyone wondering,

what's this judge going to do in this case and how is this judge going to handle this case? well we will keep an eye on it i mean this is a big case it's being watched nationally there's national media flocking to kentucky to cover this case i mean it was a homicide that happened on camera and obviously the defense is trying to say look this is this is partly a mental health case but also we we want to argue that this is a manslaughter and not a murder because mickey felt that his wife and daughter had been taken or were being threatened this is an unusual case a lot of ways first of all the number of shootings you see in a courthouse are very small it's typically a secure facility number two the number of shootings by one public

official against another even smaller and then to have it captured on camera this is i've never heard of a case like this and so i imagine many people around the country including your viewers will be watching this and a lot of eyes on this judge it's a tough thing a lot of people will be watching this judge to see whether this judge could fairly handle this case. So I say, I guess I'd say, stay tuned to see what's happens next. Yeah, we will definitely keep an eye on it. Mark Weaver, thank you so much for your time, as always. Appreciate it. Yes, thank you. So right now, we're waiting to see what has happened. The clerk of courts has not reported that any new documents have been filed in the case. So as soon as there's new information available, we will pass it

along to you. That's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Annette Levy. Thanks so much for for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.