Big Breakdown : Kentucky Sheriff Executes Judge in Courthouse—But Was It Vigilante Justice?
Hidden Killers With Tony Brueski | True Crime News & Commentary
True Crime Today
3.3 • 907 Ratings
🗓️ 5 June 2025
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski, we take you deep inside one of the most shocking cases to hit the American justice system in decades—a sitting sheriff walks into a judge’s chambers and pulls the trigger. But was it a breakdown, a hit, or the fallout from a system drowning in its own corruption?
On September 19, 2024, Sheriff Sean “Mickey” Steins shot and killed Judge Kevin Mullins inside the Letcher County courthouse. The murder was caught on surveillance video. No one is questioning whether he did it. The question is: why?
What unfolds next is a twisted tale of alleged courthouse sexual abuse, political backroom deals, federal lawsuits, and a defense strategy shifting between claims of insanity, extreme emotional disturbance, and the fallout of an explosive deposition just three days before the killing.
Joined by defense attorney and former prosecutor Eric Faddis and psychotherapist Shavaun Scott, this breakdown dissects the legal tightrope ahead. We explore whether Steins’ mental state qualifies as legally insane or just morally compromised. Was he cracking under guilt, paranoia, or blackmail? Was he protecting his family from threats—or himself from exposure?
We also dig into the broader allegations: Was a courthouse being used for sexual coercion? Did Mullins turn a blind eye—or worse, enable it? And was Steins a whistleblower-turned-vigilante, or part of the very system he tried to destroy?
This case isn’t just about a murder—it’s about how unchecked power, broken oversight, and small-town politics can spiral into violence. If you care about justice, corruption, and the cost of silence, you don’t want to miss this episode.
#JudgeMullins #SeanSteins #LetcherCounty #CourthouseMurder #InsanityDefense #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimePodcast #CorruptionInKentucky #SexScandalCoverup #VigilanteJustice
Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?
Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod
Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is the big breakdown. |
| 0:02.2 | A long look back at some of the biggest stories we're covering for you at the Hidden |
| 0:05.9 | Killers podcast and True Crime Today. |
| 0:09.9 | This is Hidden Killers with Tony Brewski. |
| 0:13.9 | They say justice is blind. |
| 0:17.5 | But in Leicester County, Kentucky, it was shot dead in cold blood. |
| 0:24.5 | September 19th of 2024 is what we're talking about, a Thursday morning like any other, |
| 0:33.0 | until it wasn't inside the Lector County courthouse. |
| 0:37.8 | What happened? |
| 0:39.4 | Judge Kevin Mullen sat behind his desk going about his usual routine. |
| 0:44.6 | Just before 10 a.m., Sheriff Sean Mickey Steins walked into his chambers and changed the course of history. |
| 0:53.9 | Without warning, he pulled out a handgun and fired. |
| 0:58.1 | The first shot was enough to put Mullins down. |
| 1:01.9 | The next few were just to make sure. |
| 1:05.8 | Surveillance cameras caught it all, no sound, |
| 1:08.9 | just the cold clinical footage of a man executing a sitting judge. |
| 1:15.8 | Here's where things get strange. |
| 1:18.4 | After making absolutely sure the judge was dead, Steins didn't flee. |
| 1:23.6 | He didn't fight. |
| 1:25.0 | He calmly walked to the nearest deputy, handed over his gun, and surrendered |
| 1:30.6 | without a struggle, almost like he had just checked off an errand on his to-do list. |
| 1:36.7 | Get up this morning, take the dogs out, drive the kids to school, shoot the judge, get arrested, spend my life in prison. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from True Crime Today, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of True Crime Today and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.