Daughter of ex-Kentucky sheriff charged with killing judge speaks out about case

Christopher Leach, Lexington Herald-Leader on Oct 23, 2025

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — The daughter of a former county sheriff charged with killing a judge last year took to social media this week to deny rumors the judge had an inappropriate relationship with her.

Lila Stines posted a pair of TikTok videos Oct. 21 and Oct. 22 urging people not to spread the rumor and claiming that any stories about her and “the other party” were made up.

“Do you all not have anything better to do than to sit and gossip?” she said. “You are taking my pain, and making it your pleasure. You’re taking our stories and turning them into big entertainment pieces, jokes, and for that matter, you’re making it your income. Since when did that become okay?”

The videos come after Lila Stines, who is now 18 but was a minor when the shooting happened, and her mother also denied to investigators that she had any contact with former Letcher County Judge Kevin Mullins, according to grand jury transcripts.

Her father, former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines, 44, is accused of shooting and killing Mullins inside the judge’s chambers on Sept. 19, 2024. The shooting was captured on video, and the motive for the shooting has remained a mystery.

Mickey Stines is charged with murder, and his case is pending. His lawyer, Jeremy Bartley, has claimed his client was under extreme emotional duress at the time of the shooting, and he said he planned to use an insanity defense.

The case garnered national attention, including from true crime personalities on social media, who claimed the judge had an inappropriate relationship with Mickey Stines’ minor daughter.

Clayton Stamper, a detective with Kentucky State Police, testified that the sheriff used Mullins’ phone to call his daughter before the shooting. In video footage of the shooting, Mickey Stines appears to ask for Mullins’ phone and make a call on it.

But Stamper said there was no evidence of previous communication between Mullins and the daughter, including through social media, texts or phone calls, according to grand jury transcripts.

Lila Stines’ videos this week went viral, increasing her follower count from about 950 to more than 7,000. She clarified in a second video that she wasn’t addressing the shooting specifically, only the rumors about a relationship with Mullins.

“I am aware of how serious this is and how much of a big deal this is,” Stines said. “I was not talking about news or social media; I was simply talking about the people who sit at home, behind a keyboard all day and say terrible things about my name.”

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