Sheriff Shawn Stines of Letcher County entered a not-guilty plea to first-degree murder in connection with District Judge Kevin Mullins’ passing.
Lawyer for Shawn “Mickey” Stines, the Kentucky sheriff charged with killing a district judge in his chambers, claims his client was not thinking clearly and did not plot the murder.
According to defence lawyer Jeremy Bartley, “it was not something that was planned and occurred in the heat of passion,” People said. “For us, the highest level of culpability should be manslaughter based on the partial defense of extreme emotional disturbance.”
Letcher County Sheriff Stines is accused of shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins numerous times while he sat at his desk on September 19. The video, which was shown without audio before a preliminary hearing on October 1, purportedly captured the incident.
According to reports, the sheriff—a longtime friend and colleague of the judge—kept shooting even after Mullins hit the ground.
“We believe there had to be a compelling reason for Sheriff Stines to feel like he had to take action,” Bartley stated. “We are looking forward to obtaining additional information and begin[ning] to tell his story.”
The two males had shared lunch with a group in the hours prior to the shooting, Kentucky State Police Detective Clayton Stamper stated at the preliminary hearing, as reported by the Louisville Courier Journal.
“I was told that the judge made a statement to Mickey about, ‘Do we need to meet private in my chambers?’” According to the Associated Press, Stamper gave a testimony.
Stamper claims that after trying to reach his daughter on Mullins’ phone (whose contact list included Stines’ daughter, the AP reports), Stines tried calling his daughter on his own phone.
In response to the question of whether Stines was inspired to shoot Mullins because of what he saw on the judge’s phone, Stamper responded, “It could be, but I don’t know that for a fact.”
According to the AP, Stamper stated, “I talked to him, but he didn’t say anything about why this had happened.” “However, he appeared composed. Essentially, his only statement was, “Treat me fairly.”
Stamper stated that Stines reportedly informed another officer, “They’re trying to kidnap my wife and kid,” after being brought into custody.
The town of Letcher County, Kentucky, where Stines worked as a bailiff in Mullins’ court before to taking office as sheriff in 2018, has been rocked by the shooting in Whitesburg.
The friend of Mullins and a former mayor of Jenkins, Garnard Kincer Jr., told People, “We’re all in a state of shock over it.” It essentially rendered us helpless. We are simply in shock that it occurred.”
Despite having resigned as sheriff last week, Stines has entered a not guilty plea to first-degree murder charges. At the hearing on October 2, a judge found that there was enough evidence to proceed with the lawsuit.
