A video was displayed in court on Tuesday, depicting the moment a Kentucky judge was fatally shot in his chambers, during the hearing of a former sheriff accused of murder, The Associated Press reports. Prosecutors presented the short video clip during the preliminary hearing for Shawn “Mickey” Stines. He was sheriff of Letcher County when police say he walked into District Judge Kevin Mullins’ chambers and opened fire on Sept. 19. Mullins, 54, who held the judgeship for 15 years, died at the scene, and Stines, 43, surrendered without incident. Stines stepped down as sheriff on Monday. The video, with no audio, showed a man identified by police as Stines pulling out a gun and shooting the judge as he sat at his desk. The man walked around the desk, pointed the gun at the judge, and fired again. Stines pleaded not guilty to murder and is being held in another Kentucky county.
Although the police have not disclosed a motive for the shooting, Stines' defense concentrated on the events preceding it, such as a lunch meeting between Stines and Judge Mullins on that day. Kentucky State Police Detective Clayton Stamper reviewed video from Mullins' chambers before the shooting but didn't play it in court. Stamper testified that Stines used his own phone, borrowed the judge’s phone, and attempted to call his daughter. Police are analyzing both phones. Stamper said no evidence suggests the shooting was planned, though it happened after a phone call. Investigators also found no weapon on Mullins or in his chambers. Stines had also been deposed in a lawsuit filed by two women, one of whom alleged a deputy sheriff forced her to have sex inside Mullins’ chambers for six months in exchange for staying out of jail. Stines fired the deputy for “conduct unbecoming” in 2022, the Courier-Journal has reported. Stamper didn’t confirm any connection to the shooting. At the hearing's conclusion, the judge found probable cause for Stines’ involvement, allowing the case to proceed to a grand jury. If convicted, Stines could face 20 years to life, or possibly the death penalty.
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