A former Kentucky sheriff was arraigned on a murder charge Monday at the same courthouse where he is accused of fatally shooting a judge. Former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines was indicted on one count of murdering a public official. Stines, 43, is accused of shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins on Sept. 19 in the Letcher County courthouse in Whitesburg. A judge denied bond for Stines, who had worked with Mullins for years/ Mullins, a judge in Letcher County since 2009, was killed while sitting in his private office. Stines had served as sheriff since 2018 and had been a bailiff in Mullins' court. They were friends who ate lunch together just hours before the shooting, reports USA Today.
Neither prosecutors or defense lawyers have offered a motive. Defense attorney Jeremy Bartley said Monday that Stines has a "a compelling defense." A deposition Stines gave in a federal lawsuit before the shooting is a part of that. Stines was one of several parties sued over allegations that Ben Fields, who was a Letcher County deputy sheriff, had given favorable treatment to a woman on home incarceration in exchange for sexual favors inside Mullins' private courthouse office. The plaintiff argued that Stines had failed to train and supervise Fields. Defense attorney Bartley said, "Let the story be told in the courtroom. What's online, all these social media posts, everybody's opinion about this case — it's a grain of salt. This is a complex case, but we believe there will be a very complete defense for Mr. Stines and we look forward to putting that on for him."
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