Amber Spradlin case: New indictment claims three men charged planted ‘fake’ weapon

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — A Wednesday indictment has revealed new details regarding the investigation into the stabbing death of Amber Spradlin.

On June 18, 2022, Spradlin’s body was discovered in an Arkansas Creek home, where she had been stabbed 11 times.

Michael K. McKinney III, 24, has been arrested and charged with murder. A grand jury also returned indictments against his father, 56-year-old Michael K. McKinney II, and 23-year-old Josh Mullins. All three men now face eight counts of complicity to tampering with evidence.

On Wednesday, a grand jury returned a new indictment that accuses the three men of “fabricating physical evidence.” The indictment suggests that a knife had been planted on the couch where the act took place to suggest it was the weapon used.

The knife used to kill Spradlin was broken in the process, and its handle was reportedly destroyed, concealed, or removed from the scene, per the indictment.

Alongside the knife, the indictment accuses the three men of tampering with the following alone or in complicity with one another:

• Clothing worn on the night of June 18.
• Cleaned or removed blood from the kitchen and laundry room sinks.
• Removed, concealed, or destroyed a surveillance camera from the room where Spradlin was killed.
• Removed, concealed, or destroyed a digital camera that contained the surveillance footage from inside the home.
• Removed, concealed, or destroyed a hard drive that contained information from the surveillance cameras.

It’s unclear when the three men will appear in court for the latest indictment, but a previously scheduled hearing is set to occur on Aug. 19.

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