Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Charges Against KY Sheriff Accused of Killing Judge | Crime Alert 7 AM 12.05.25

The incident allegedly occurred on September 19, 2024, when Sheriff Stines shot and killed Judge Kevin Mullins in his chambers. The event was recorded on video, which was presented during Stines’ preliminary hearing and shown to the grand jury.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alert hourly update, breaking crime news Now. I'm Nicole Parton.
The judge in Kentucky has rejected a request to dismiss
the indictment against former Lecher County Sheriff Sean Steins, who
is facing charges for the fatal shooting of District Judge
Kevin Mullins in September twenty twenty four. Court documents indicate
that the judge determined prosecutors acted appropriately during the grand

(00:24):
jury proceedings that resulted in Stein's indictment in November. In
a different ruling, the judge approved Stein's request for a
bond hearing, but turned down his motion to include parts
of the confidential psychological evaluation as evidence. According to court records,
Stein's defense team has previously indicated that they will argue

(00:44):
extreme emotional disturbance and insanity during the trial. He is
currently detained on murder charges, which could lead to the
death penalty. The incident allegedly occurred on September nineteen, twenty
twenty four, when Stein's shot and killed Judge Mullins in
his chambers. The event was recorded on video, which was
presented during Stein's preliminary hearing and shown to the grand jury.

(01:08):
The defense contends that the prosecution provided false and misleading
information to the grand jury, particularly concerning Stein's mental health
and his involvement in a federal civil lawsuit against former
Deputy Ben Fields. According to the defense, the defendant asserts
that during the grand jury session on November twenty one,

(01:28):
the prosecutor elicited misleading testimony that swayed the jury towards
the murder indictment. As stated in the court order, the
defense emphasized that medical records revealed Stein's had been diagnosed
with an acute stress reaction just a day prior to
the shooting, and Joe records noted instances of quote active

(01:48):
psychosis during suicide risk assessments following his arrest. Furthermore, the
defense claimed that Detective Stamper incorrectly testified that Judge Mullins
was not connected to the civil lawsuit against Ben Fields,
which pertains to allegations of inappropriate relationships with court participants
in Mullen's chamber. The judge concluded that the prosecution met

(02:11):
its burden of providing sufficient evidence for probable cause, noting
that any alleged misrepresentations or omissions would not have altered
the grand jury's decision for an indictment. As it stands now,
the sheriff will go to trial for the murder of
the Kentucky judge or Crime and Justice News after this

(02:37):
and now to a bizarre story out of Louisiana. A
seventy three year old man from Mississippi is facing legal
troubles after allegedly attempting to buy a baby from her mother.
Howell Jean Penton has been charged with the cell of
a miner in Washington Parish, Louisiana, related to this reported incident.

(02:58):
According to a statement from the Washington ten Parish Sheriff's office,
the incident took place at the Angie auction House, located
about eighty five miles north of New Orleans. Penton reportedly
approached a woman and inquired about buying her ten month
old daughter. The investigation was initiated on November twenty six,
and three days later, law enforcement officials conducted an undercover

(03:20):
operation that led to Penton's arrest without any complications. He
is currently being held at the Washington Parish Jail in
Franklinton with a bond set at two hundred thousand dollars.
It remains unclear whether Penton has entered a plea of
guilty or not. At first, I believe people thought it
was just a joke, but apparently he truly wanted to

(03:42):
buy the baby. And now a very sad follow up
to a missing person's case we brought to you earlier,
a missing twenty year old woman out of Colorado, she
was the center of a massive search, has been found dead.
Her loved ones have confirmed Kaylee Russell, just twenty, was
found dead. Unfortunately, she did not survive, her family verified.

(04:04):
On Tuesday afternoon, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation issued an
endangered missing alert for the twenty year old. According to
the alert, they said Russell, who lived in Evans, was
last seen around six pm on Sunday near the Loveland
Johnstown Park and Ride parking lot, where her father helped
her change a flat tire. Amid the investigation into Russell's disappearance,

(04:26):
first responders headed to an area just northeast of a reservoir,
which is about fifteen miles north of the park and
Ride where she was last seen around two PM after
reports of a single car crash into a canal. This
was the second water search of the day in connection
to the missing woman, Colorado State Police and Evans Police

(04:47):
and the Lemira County Sheriff's Office responded. They found a
black twenty sixteen Volkswagen SUV upside down in the waterway.
CSP confirmed it was Russell's car. Instead, a body was
in s Her family confirmed that she was in fact
in her car and did not survive the crash at
least said the investigation is ongoing. For the latest crime

(05:10):
injustice news, follow Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite
podcasting app with this crime Alert. I'm Nicole Parton.