A shocking case in rural Kentucky continues to raise questions about systemic misconduct in Letcher County’s legal system, where former District Court Judge Kevin Mullins, who was shot and killed in his chambers in September 2024, now faces posthumous allegations that he ran a sex-trafficking scheme out of the county jail.
Allegations of Abuse of Power
In an interview with NewsNation’s Banfield, Tya Adams claimed Mullins pressured women, including herself, into attending sex parties with him and his associates.
In return, she said, women were promised money, reduced jail sentences, or leniency in their criminal cases. Adams said the judge also used threats of harsher sentencing or involvement of Child Protective Services to coerce participation.
“They would make sure to make you feel as small and degraded and belittled as possible to take your power away,” Adams told the outlet. She added that in her view, “the whole town was doing it,” suggesting a culture of silence and complicity.
Sarah Davis, a former deputy at the Letcher County Jail, corroborated some of the accounts, describing the jail as a “brothel” where sexual encounters between staff, inmates, and community members occurred.
Although she said she did not personally witness Judge Mullins initiate sex, she described hearing stories that were “nasty and sickening” and confirmed she had been invited to a party herself.
The Fatal Shooting
Mullins, 54, was fatally shot in his chambers on September 19, 2024, in an incident captured on courthouse security video.
Authorities allege that Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines, a longtime colleague and friend of Mullins, fired multiple shots at the judge as he sat at his desk, continuing even after Mullins fell to the floor.
At a preliminary hearing, Kentucky State Police Detective Clayton Stamper testified that moments before the shooting, Stines attempted to call his daughter from both his own phone and Mullins’ phone. The number was stored in Mullins’ contacts, according to the Associated Press.
Stines has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. His defense has not publicly addressed the allegations regarding his daughter but has suggested that Mullins’ alleged misconduct may form part of the context for the confrontation.
Legal and Community Fallout
The allegations against Mullins, combined with the violent nature of his death, have left the Letcher County community reeling.
Legal observers note that if the accusations are substantiated, the case underscores the vulnerability of incarcerated individuals when power is abused within the justice system.
Meanwhile, the prosecution against Stines is proceeding, with legal experts predicting that his defense may attempt to introduce claims about Mullins’ conduct as part of a broader justification for the shooting. Courts will likely need to carefully balance evidentiary relevance against the prejudicial effect of unproven allegations.
As the case develops, it highlights both the dangers of unchecked authority and the challenges of ensuring accountability when misconduct is allegedly systemic.
