Amber Spradlin: A Night of Horror and Unanswered Questions

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On June 18, 2023, the Kentucky State Police received a call from a man living in a home in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, claiming there was a deceased woman on his sofa. The police went into the home of Dr. Michael McKinney II, where they found the body of Amber Spradlin on the sofa, appearing to have been stabbed multiple times. Spradlin was stabbed a total of 11 times in the head, neck, and throat; the blade of the knife lodged in her neck. This was the second call the police received from the same address that day, around 5 AM. There was a call about someone who was injured and intoxicated in the house, but the owner of the home told the police that everything was under control. Dr. McKinney convinced the police not to arrive at the house, reassuring them that everything was under control. A few hours later, the call about a dead body was made by Dr. McKinney.

Amber Spradlin was 38 years old when she was killed. She was born on October 7, 1984, in Prestonsburg, Kentucky. Her parents, Tom Spradlin and Sharon Robinson Spradlin, had both passed away when she was younger. She was raised by her grandparents and lived with them for the rest of her life. She came from a very close-knit family, the last 17 years spent living close to her sister, Angela Spradlin. Her cousin, Dr. Deborah Hill, described their relationship during our interview: “We did everything together; we were like sisters.” Her family prides itself on spending holidays together and on having regular events to get together. When her grandparents died, she was given a trust fund they had for her. Spradlin was known to hang out with her cousins when she was not working. The month leading up to her murder, she worked as a hostess for the largest restaurant in her area, Brickhouse. Michael “M.K.” McKinney III was the owner of the restaurant. MK was also Dr. McKinney’s son. Before working at the Brickhouse, Spradlin also spent 3 years working at her cousin, Dr. Deborah Hill’s, dental office. She had the job for a month before being murdered to meet new people. With the trust fund, she did not require a job. She was described as a positive person, someone who came to work with a smile and got along with her coworkers.

A lot of information as to what happened the night leading up to the murder comes from our interview with Dr. Deborah Hill, as she went into detail about the events leading up to her cousin’s murder. On June 17, Spradlin was invited on a date by Roy Kidd, who was an X-ray technician at her cousin’s dental office. They were known to go out occasionally for dinner or drinks at a bar. They had made plans to meet at a popular bar called The Season Inn. Spradlin’s cousin knew she had a crush on Kid, and he was known to treat her respectfully. Kid and Spradlin had known each other for about 20 years. They had a few drinks at the Season Inn, where they ran into MK McKinney and Josh Mullins with Mullins’ girlfriend. Roy and MK were cousins and had not seen each other in about a decade. This reunion led the group to stay until the bar closed. Once the bar closed at around 2 AM, MK decided to invite the rest of the group to his home. The group of six got into MK’s car, and Spradlin left her car at the bar. At the house, there was a lounge with drinks, and they partied there until 5:30 AM. At this time, MK had placed the initial 911 call reporting that Roy was highly intoxicated, had fallen and hit his chin, and was bleeding. Dr. McKinney then got on the phone and defused the police call, after which no first responders were sent to the address.

At some point after the phone call was made, Spradlin was attacked, stabbed a total of 11 times, with the blade stuck in her neck. At around 10:30 AM, the second phone call was made, and Dr. McKinney reported the dead body. During that time, Roy was passed out in the basement of the house, recovering from the injuries he sustained in a drunken stupor. In the three hours between the first and second phone calls, investigators discovered evidence of a cover-up.

Once investigators began collecting evidence, they noticed that the scene of the murder had been heavily tampered with. Police found that during the three hours between the first and second calls, the McKinney family and Mullins had done their best to cover up the crime. Investigators found that the security camera’s memory drives had been tampered with, as Mullins and Dr. McKinney tried to destroy the footage when the crime occurred. It was discovered that they destroyed surveillance cameras, a digital video recorder, and a hard drive. There were also signs of the large amount of blood from the attack being cleaned up, with blood being found in the sinks in the basement. Several towels covered in blood were found, blood was found on the doorknob of Dr. McKinney’s bedroom, on the floor of the house, and on the couch where Spradlin’s body was found.

The reason Mullins was willing to help the McKinney family has to do with the fact that the family took him in when he was younger, and since then, he has been loyal to the family, especially Dr. McKinney, as the actions he carried out to cover the crime were at the behest of the doctor.  It was later discovered that Mullins and Dr. McKinney also helped clean up MK’s bloody clothes and gave him a change of clothes before sending him off to Morehead. Once MK confirmed he was in Morehead, they decided to call the police to report Spradlin’s dead body. It was also discovered that Dr. McKinney called the chief of police before reporting the death; the contents of their conversation have never been discussed with the chief, even avoiding making comments to the press. The investigators had collected evidence that proved that all three suspects helped hide the death by tampering with evidence and sending MK on the run prior to the police arriving.

After collecting the evidence, it took about a year for the arrest warrants to be issued. Spradlin’s death was considered a homicide in 2023 when the State Medical Examiner concluded the autopsy. It was in that autopsy that the blade of the knife was found in Spradlin’s neck. On July 30, 2024, a Floyd County grand jury returned with indictments in the case. MK was arrested in the Morehead/Clearfield area of eastern Kentucky, while Dr. McKinney was arrested in a restaurant owned by family members, and Mullins was arrested in Floyd County. Dr. McKinney and Mullins were taken to the Floyd County Detention Center, while MK was booked into the Rowan County Detention Center. When they were arrested, Dr. Deborah Hill told WYMT, “For the past 408 days, our family has waited for the arrest of those responsible for Amber’s death and those responsible for the attempted cover-up of murder. Finally, our community can feel relieved knowing that those responsible will soon face a jury of their neighbors.” The entire family felt relieved to learn that the suspects had been arrested. Dr. McKinney and Mullins were charged with tampering with a crime scene, while MK was charged with homicide.

During the court hearing, the judge was going to set their bond. MK was charged with seven counts of tampering and murder, with a bond set at $5 million. Dr. McKinney was charged with a second count of tampering, with his bond set to $250K. Mullins was also charged with seven counts of tampering, and his bond was set to $100K. They entered a non-guilty plea. Their attorneys tried to plead for a lower bond, but the judge denied it at the initial court hearing. Dr. McKinney eventually made bail and was allowed to return to work, though he must be monitored and was only allowed to go to work and back home. All his employees have quit working for him, and he is not allowed to touch patients as his medical license was suspended. As a result, Dr. McKinney has been seeking a new crew to take over while his license is suspended. MK was also bailed out as of December 18, 2025, with a 10% minimum on his $5 million bail and $500,000 in property bonds. He has to wear an ankle monitor while out of prison. Mullins was able to pay his bail, but is under surveillance with an ankle monitor. There has been discussion about what has caused the case to drag on in court.

The amount of evidence the forensic team is going through has slowed them to a crawl and lengthened the trials' overall duration in court. McKinney’s attorneys claim that the delay violates the Sixth Amendment, arguing that if the evidence is sufficient to hold them in custody, it should be sufficient to try the case. The Commonwealth Attorney Brent Turner responded to McKinney’s attorney, stating in a WYMT article, “The Commonwealth is simply asking that the case not be tried until all of the evidence collected from the scene has been forensically tested, which is common sense.” Turner stated that the forensic team is exceeding its usual policy by testing more than 10 items in a single submission to expedite the process and ensure sufficient evidence. The two significant pieces of evidence are DNA testing on blood found on Spradlin’s clothes and on Dr. McKinney’s bedroom door. The door was mere feet from where the murder took place. Other blood evidence they are testing is on the couch, where Spradlin was found, and blood that was found in sink traps. Turner elaborated on WYMT, “The stakes could not be higher. The victim, Amber Spradlin, is dead and in the ground after being viciously murdered. Defendant M.K. McKinney faces the possibility of life in prison. To rush this case to trial without all the evidence being tested could result in a terrible injustice.” They are waiting for a trial that is scheduled for February 2026. There has been no motive discovered as of the publishing of this article.

Written by Podcast Blogger:

Joseph Gil 

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