Kentucky Judge shot dead in courthouse 'ran depraved sex ring', accuser claims

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

A woman has accused the Kentucky judge shot dead in his chambers of running a sex ring from his office, coercing girls into 'wild sex parties' in exchange for keeping them out of jail.
District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was killed while in his chambers at Letcher County Circuit Court in September of 2024, allegedly at the hands Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. 'Mickey' Stines - his close friend.
Since the fatal shooting, disturbing claims have emerged about Mullins - including one witness who told police he ran his chambers 'like a brothel' and was seen having sex with a 'girl' inside the office.
Tya Adams - another alleged victim - has now come forward with her account, saying she first knew Judge Mullins through his former role as an assistant commonwealth's attorney.
'That's when he started introducing me to his friends,' Adams said during the exclusive interview with NewsNation.
'And we would do sex parties and perform shows and have sex with them for money, things like that.'
In the interview, Adams explained that, out of fear of the powerful legal system and the threat of Child Protective Services disrupting her life, she felt powerless to say no to Mullins.
'They would make sure to make you feel as small and degraded and belittled as possible to take your power away,' Adams explained.
Since the fatal shooting, disturbing allegations about Mullins (pictured) have surfaced - including one witness who told police he ran his chambers 'like a brothel' and was seen having sex with a 'girl' inside the office
'It was consensual. But it was the thing that we were so young, and then they used it against us to destroy our lives later,' she added.
'He's the one with the power; he holds my entire life in his hands. He's the one who makes the decisions over whether I get to keep my children or not. He's the one who makes the decisions on whether I go to jail.'
Adams claimed that Mullins - and others connected to the court - warned her to stay silent about what was allegedly happening behind the scenes of the town's judicial system.
'That was just a given,' she said.
'And, who would believe it anyway? Because the whole town was doing it. Nobody cares. They're all swingers. It's all a big party to them. It was just normal.'
Sarah Davis, a former deputy jailer at Letcher County Jail, said she never witnessed any sexual misconduct firsthand - but described the rumors she'd heard as 'nasty and sickening,' according to NewsNation.
'Pretty much everybody in the county knows,' Davis said, according to the outlet.
'But it was confirmed to me after working in the county jail, especially after being invited to a party myself,' she added.
Adams' interview marks the third time a woman has come forward alleging that Mullins' alleged abuse of power extended far beyond just what happened inside his chambers.
She claimed it wasn't just her - that hundreds of women, along with men and even children in trouble with the law, were sent to visit him for the same reason.
'I've had sex with him in the chambers,' she added, explaining it happened both while she was in jail and after living on the streets 'I was part of it. I was one of them.'
On September 19, 2024, just steps from the courthouse, Judge Mullins and Sheriff Stines - the man accused of his murder - were seen having lunch together at an outdoor table at the popular Streetside Grill & Bar on Main Street.
Just hours later, Stines entered the judge's chambers, locked the door, and allegedly fired eight bullets into Mullins during a chilling private confrontation - with both the shooting and the tense moments before captured on haunting video.
Months later, audio recordings surfaced that seemed to reveal additional mounting allegations of a sex-for-favors scheme - one that stretched far beyond the courthouse, deeply entangling the small town of Whitesburg.
An allegation from Sabrina Adkins, who was raped by Ben Fields - one of Stines' deputies - came to light through police audio recordings obtained by News Nation.
'I seen Judge Mullins having sex with a girl... in his office, in the judge's chambers,' Adkins said in a recording of her police interview.
She can also be heard saying that former deputy sheriff Fields 'does have some videotapes of some stuff in the judge's chambers… just with girls, sexual and stuff.'
Adkins alleged that the tapes captured Fields and 'some higher-ups' engaging in sexual acts inside the chambers, hinting at the possibility of additional, yet unidentified individuals involved in the sextortion scheme.
In a 2022 federal lawsuit, Adkins revealed that unable to afford an ankle monitor and desperate to avoid jail, she was coerced by Fields into performing sexual favors to stay under house arrest.
Stines was also accused in the lawsuit of failing to properly train and supervise former deputy Fields, who served six months in jail for coercing Adkins into sexual favors within Judge Mullins's chambers.
Adkins attorney Ned Pillersdorf told NewsNation: 'It's like they (Mullins and Fields) were running a brothel out of that courtroom.'
Former deputy jailer Davis recalled hearing a story from a female guard, who told her that one of the places she would take male inmates was the storage room - a locked area that required a key to access, as reported by Fox 56 News.
'A lot of times, they get taken up into the courthouse, especially after hours, late at night, when nobody's at work and nobody's up there,' Davis said. 'So it's all empty. It's all empty space.'
Davis further claimed that in some cases, inmates were actually rewarded for their participation, suggesting a deeper pattern of manipulation and control within the facility.
'The smallest things, unless you're going unless you're going with one of the overheads; if they're sleeping with the guard, it's mostly for things like cigarettes, time out of cell, Pops, commissary, things like that,' Davis said.
She also said that once Mullins was shot and killed, she knew everything was 'going to come out.'
'A lot of the corruption was going to come out,' Davis told News Nation.
'Because even I believe that the sheriff, he either knew something or something was going on that he knew about, that we all might not know about, but he was doing something to protect us,' she added.
In her recent interview, Adams said she believes the alleged sex ring survived so long because it was protected by those in power - the very people who held authority in the court of law.
'I don't want our kids to have to grow up in this town like it has been for us, because once they get their hooks in you, they never let you go,' she told the outlet.
'You don't get to live. You don't get to choose your life. You don't choose your own path. They do that for you.'
Stines ultimately admitted to the shooting but pleaded not guilty to murder, claiming it happened in the heat of passion and should be considered manslaughter at most.
When Stines was taken into custody for the shooting, he allegedly exclaimed: 'They're trying to kidnap my wife and kid.'
He and Mullins were longtime friends and lunchtime regulars together at the sports bar and on that fateful Thursday ordered their usual – both having the $13.99 wings with salad.
Detectives have been investigating possible motives, with one theory suggesting that Stines may have discovered his daughter's phone number in Mullins' phone - allegedly after Mullins called her just moments before the shooting.
Video of the shooting shows Stines pointing his weapon at Mullins as his hands are raised cowering behind his desk - but the sheriff's lawyers insist the killing was not planned.
It remains unclear when Stines' murder trial will begin, as prosecutors have indicated the discovery process could take 'some time.' For now, he remains in custody without bond.