The trial of Dr. Michael McKinney, MK McKinney, and Josh Mullins—charged in Amber Spradlin’s 2023 murder—has been delayed yet again, now set for 2027. Nearly four years after her death, justice has still not been served. Similarly, the case of former Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines, who killed Judge Kevin Mullins in 2024, hasn’t even been scheduled.
In the past, trials could happen within days. Today, even a circuit court jury trial in Kentucky can take eight months—or longer—to begin. Evidence review, especially DNA testing, is slower and more complex than ever. In the Spradlin case, 145 pieces of evidence are being processed carefully, one at a time, to avoid errors. Accuracy matters—but so does timeliness.
Delays extend beyond trials. Capital punishment cases illustrate the extreme: James E. Hitchcock was executed in Florida in 2026—50 years after his sentencing. The average time from sentencing to execution in the U.S. is now 19 years, compared to 8 years in the early 1990s. Victims’ families wait decades for closure, while courts and jails shoulder the strain.
We must ask: how can a system be fair, accurate, and timely? Justice should protect defendants’ rights—but it should also honor the victims. The balance is off. A system that takes years for straightforward cases fails the public, the victims, and the very purpose of justice.
It’s time to rethink delays, streamline processes, and restore faith that justice will be served—not decades later, but when it matters most.
