The murder of a small-town Kentucky judge last fall stunned the quiet Appalachian community of Whitesburg. But the killing of Judge Kevin Mullins inside his chambers — allegedly at the hands of his longtime friend, Sheriff Shawn Stines — has since unearthed a darker, more sordid narrative.

According to disturbing new allegations, Mullins was not just a victim of violence but a central figure in a sprawling sex-for-favors network that turned the courthouse into what one accuser described as a “brothel.”

In a recent interview with NewsNation’s Banfield, Tya Adams, who claims she was among the judge’s victims, said she was coerced into participating in sex parties where young women were pressured to perform sexual favors in exchange for money or leniency from the law.

“We would do sex parties and perform shows and have sex with them for money, things like that,” Adams alleged. “It was consensual. But the thing is, we were so young — and then they used it against us to destroy our lives later.”

Adams recalled feeling trapped, afraid that Child Protective Services could be weaponized against her if she refused. “They would make sure to make you feel as small and degraded and belittled as possible to take your power away,” she said.

The alleged ring, Adams added, was hardly a secret in the insular Letcher County community. “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 so normal.”

Other insiders back up those claims. Sarah Davis, a former deputy jailer at the county lockup, told the outlet she had long heard of “nasty and sickening” rumors about the judge and his circle. She said her suspicions were confirmed after she was personally invited to one of the gatherings.

The allegations add to a growing body of testimony suggesting Mullins may have abused his judicial power. In 2022, Sabrina Adkins, a woman at the center of a criminal probe into then–deputy sheriff Ben Fields — who was later jailed for raping an inmate — told investigators that she once witnessed Mullins having sex with a woman inside his chambers.

She further claimed that Fields had “videotapes of some stuff in the judge’s chambers … just with girls, sexual and stuff.”

Though investigators have not linked the alleged sex ring directly to Mullins’ death, the possibility that the scandal motivated the killing has not been ruled out.

Mullins and his accused killer, Sheriff Stines, had been close friends for decades. On September 18, 2024, surveillance footage showed Stines entering the judge’s chambers after having lunch with him earlier in the day. According to authorities, Stines made several phone calls to his daughter before pulling out a gun and firing multiple shots, killing Mullins execution-style.

Stines then allegedly walked out of the courthouse and surrendered immediately, telling officers: “They’re trying to kidnap my wife and kid.”

Prosecutors have charged him with the murder of a public official. His defense team insists the crime was not premeditated, describing the shooting as a “crime of passion” driven by “extreme emotional disturbance.”

For now, the motive remains clouded in secrecy — tangled between claims of corruption, sex trafficking, and the shattering betrayal of a friendship forged over decades.

What is clear, however, is that the scandal has left the community reeling. To some, Mullins is remembered as a judge tragically slain in his office. To others, he is a man who allegedly exploited his bench for power, sex, and control.

As one accuser bluntly put it: “They ran that courthouse like a brothel.”