The Kentucky Supreme Court has denied a former Letcher County sheriff’s effort to disqualify the judge in his murder trial.
In a ruling Saturday, Deputy Chief Justice Robert Conley said there was no reason to doubt Judge Christopher Cohron’s impartiality.
Shawn "Mickey" Stines, the former sheriff, is charged with shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins to death in his chambers in the Letcher County Courthouse in September 2024.
Defense attorneys argued that Cohron could not be impartial because of his relationship with Mullins. Cohron has said his contact with Mullins was merely peripheral.
Prosecutors have sought a venue change for the trial. Cohron has yet to rule on that matter.
In December, Cohron abruptly ended a hearing without explanation.
In the months since, the Supreme Court allowed Cohron to decide whether to recuse himself.
Another high profile Kentucky murder trial is set to begin in the coming weeks. A status hearing will take place on Wednesday in Shelby County for Shannon Gilday.
Gilday is charged with murder in the February 2022 shooting death of Taylor Morgan in her father’s Madison County home. Her father, Wesley Morgan, is a former Republican state representative.
The trial was transferred to Shelbyville from Richmond because of the media attention on the case.
