Prosecutors, defense still waiting on forensic evidence in Amber Spradlin case

FLOYD/PIKE COUNTIES, Ky. (WOWK) – Three men accused in the death of a Floyd County woman in 2023 were in court for a status hearing on Thursday. The woman’s family calls the hearing “the first real step toward a trial.”

The defense and prosecution are waiting on specific forensic evidence to come back before they can have a pretrial hearing in the murder of 38-year-old Amber Spradlin. The attorneys say they expect this evidence, which consists of lab results and information from experts, to be back by September or October.

“There’s just a lot of stuff we don’t know. There’s a lot of forensic evidence out, and it’s not expected to be in until September, which is getting very close to the trial date,” said Commonwealth Attorney Brent Turner.

In the courtroom, the defense requested another pretrial, which the prosecution agreed to. The judge approved and scheduled the pretrial for 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 23.

Thursday’s hearing was the first hearing in the case to take place at the Pike County Judicial Center. In April, a judge granted a motion filed in March to have the trial moved out of Floyd County.

Spradlin’s body was found in an Arkansas Creek home with 11 stab wounds in June 2023. In July 2023, three suspects — Michael “MK” McKinney III, Michael McKinney II and Josh Mullins — were arrested in connection to her death.

McKinney II and Mullins are facing eight counts of tampering with evidence, and McKinney III is facing those charges as well as murder.

Defense Attorney Steve Romines tells WOWK 13 News the defense is pushing for a speedy trial for two reasons. The first of those is that McKinney III is being held in jail on a $5 million bond with the presumption that he is innocent until proven guilty. He was transferred to the Pike County Jail Wednesday, and is expected to stay there for the remainder of the trial unless he should post the $5 million bond.

The second reason Romines says the defense wants a speedy trial is that, in a rare media interview, he alleges a fourth man was also in the home. Romines alleges this man was covered in blood as McKinney III allegedly was, and that this fourth person supposedly failed a polygraph. That person has not been charged or arrested, and his name cannot be released as it is under discovery, Romines says.

“The case has been going on long enough. It’s time for a trial. It’s essential to get the case to trial as soon as possible,” said Romines.

Spradlin’s family was in the courtroom Thursday, and her cousin Debra Hall tells 13 News that while they want justice for Spradlin as quickly as possible, they also want it to be done “the right way.”

“Romines was the one asking for a speedy case. They were not in any hurry, I don’t know why they’re in such a big hurry now,” Hall said. “I do hope that we can get it done correctly. We want it done correctly and we want strong convictions and long sentences.”