Returning to the courthouse where the attack took place and where the two had worked closely for years, a former Kentucky sheriff accused of a judge’s shooting death entered a not guilty plea on Monday.
Last Monday, former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines was charged by a grand jury with one count of public official murder. After the Sept. 19 attack at the courthouse in Whitesburg, a small town located near the Virginia border approximately 100 miles (146 kilometers) southeast of Lexington, Stines, who had been sheriff for a number of years, resigned.
Stines will continue to be detained in a different county because no bond was established at the hearing. The court refused to establish a bond amount for Stines, who was wearing a gray jail uniform at the hearing, citing the seriousness of the charge and community safety concerns.
It is alleged that the former sheriff shot and killed District Judge Kevin Mullins in the judge’s chambers. Stines turned himself in without incident, and Mullins, who had served as judge for 15 years, passed away on the spot. If Stines is found guilty of the murder accusation, he may be executed.
The shooting’s motive has not been disclosed by the police.
During a court hearing last month, video of the judge being shot was shown. The judge was sitting at his desk when the man, who authorities named as Stines, pulled out a revolver and shot him in the footage, which lacked audio. It was evident that the man circled the desk, aimed the firearm at the judge who had collapsed to the ground, and then fired once again. As it was played, a few people in the courtroom gallery started crying.
During the prior hearing, a Kentucky State Police detective stated that Mullins died from several gunshot wounds.
Prior to the shooting, the detective also stated that Stines attempted to call his daughter on both his own and Mullin’s phones. According to the detective, no weapon was discovered on Mullins or in his rooms by investigators.
According to the detective, Mullins and Stines had lunch with a number of other individuals at a restaurant close to the courtroom on the day of the shooting.
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