A judge has set a new 2026 trial date for Michael "M.K." McKinney III, accused of killing Amber Spradlin in 2023.

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Eastern Kentucky's most notable murder case his set to go to trial in the Spring of 2026. The Amber Spradlin case is set to go in front of a jury on May 11th of next year.

The trial was initially scheduled for December of 2025, but was delayed after the commonwealth asked for more time to finish DNA testing at the KSP crime lab. The judge ruled, "the absence of available DNA evidence would be the equivalent to a missing witness in this case."

What happened to Amber Spradlin

The 38-year-old was found stabbed to death at a home in Prestonsburg on June 18th, 2023. Police believe she was killed overnight on June 17th.

MK McKinney is accused of stabbing Spradlin multiple times with a knife. His father, Dr. Michael McKinney II, and Josh Mullins also face charges, accused of helping cover up the homicide by destroying evidence, cleaning blood from a kitchen sink, and hiding or destroying surveillance video that prosecutors say would have captured the murder.

Judge agrees to reduce the accused killer's bond

McKinney has been held in jail on $5 million bond since his July 2024 arrest in connection with Spradlin's death. But his attorneys have been fighting for a bond reduction.

During Monday's pre-trial hearing, that reduction was granted, though it's unclear if it's enough to get McKinney out of jail.