A Kentucky judge who was fatally shot in his chambers last year by the local sheriff allegedly operated a sex-for-favors scheme out of his courthouse, according to new testimony and documents filed in court.
Judge Kevin R. Mullins, who was gunned down in September 2024, is now the subject of disturbing posthumous allegations involving sexual coercion, abuse of power, and misconduct that reportedly persisted for years behind closed doors.
According to court documents and sworn testimony, Mullins is accused of using his judicial authority to pressure vulnerable young women—often those under house arrest—into sexual relationships in exchange for legal leniency or personal favors. One accuser, Tya Adams, stated in a federal civil suit that Mullins’ chambers were used as the setting for “after-hours sex parties” involving public officials.
“He made the courthouse feel like a brothel,” Adams told investigators. “It wasn’t justice. It was exploitation.”
The scheme allegedly involved other law enforcement figures, including Deputy Sheriff Ben Fields, who was accused of engaging in sexual activity with women inside the judge’s chambers. Another woman, Sabrina Adkins, claimed the group coerced her into sex under threat of jail time. She said Fields took her to Judge Mullins’ chambers, where illicit acts occurred—implying the judge was aware and complicit.
These revelations are emerging in tandem with the ongoing murder case against former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines, who resigned following the shooting and has since pleaded not guilty to Mullins’ killing. His attorneys are preparing an insanity defense, citing extreme emotional distress, particularly after he was deposed in connection with the sexual misconduct lawsuit just days before the shooting.
Prosecutors say surveillance video shows Stines entering the courthouse on September 19, 2024, and firing multiple rounds at the judge, killing him instantly. The motive remains officially undetermined, though the alleged sex ring is central to the public speculation surrounding the case.
Former deputy jailer Sarah Davis and other sources confirmed that such rumors had long circulated in the small Appalachian community. “Everybody knew something was going on,” Davis said.
Meanwhile, court filings show that federal investigators have gathered substantial evidence, including digital records, surveillance footage, and witness interviews. Legal experts suggest that if proven true, the sex-for-favors allegations could reshape the narrative of Mullins’ murder and widen the scope of investigations across the county’s justice system.
As the case unfolds, it paints a troubling portrait of unchecked power, systemic silence, and the high cost of truth in a place where politics, friendship, and justice were allegedly blurred beyond recognition.
