Kentucky sheriff allegedly killed judge in the ‘heat of passion,’ his lawyer says

The lawyer of the Kentucky sheriff who allegedly shot his judge pal dead called the slaying a crime of passion that was carried out as his client was experiencing an “extreme emotional disturbance.”

Jeremy Bartley, defense attorney for former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines, said the fatal shooting wasn’t planned and his client’s charges should be reduced from murder to manslaughter. 

“It was not something that was planned and occurred in the heat of passion,” Bartley told People. 

“For us, the highest level of culpability should be manslaughter based on the partial defense of extreme emotional disturbance.”

Stines, 43, is accused of shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, several times in his chambers — hours after the decades-long friends had lunch — in an incident captured on chilling surveillance footage.

The footage showed Stines with Mullins in his chambers inside the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg on Sept. 19 having what appeared to be a heated exchange before the sheriff pulled out his gun and pointed it at the jurist’s head. 

Mullins, who was sitting behind his desk, raised his hands in fear and attempted to turn away just moments before Stines allegedly fired eight rounds at him, the footage shows.

The video showed Mullins hiding under his desk as the shots were fired.  

The sheriff then approached the judge — who was under his desk — and allegedly shot him twice at close range before leaving the chambers where Mullins served for 15 years, the disturbing footage shows.

Additional footage from inside the chambers — not shown in court or released — captured the sheriff using his and Mullins’ phone to make multiple calls to his daughter just before the cold-blooded slaying, Kentucky Detective Clayton Stamper testified.

Stamper confirmed that police found Stines’ daughter’s phone number saved in the judge’s phone.

The sheriff surrendered immediately after the shooting, asking police to “treat me fair” upon being taken into custody.

Stines then told police, “They’re trying to kidnap my wife and kid,” Stamper said.

Initial footage from the execution was played by prosecutors during a hearing last week, where a judge moved the case to the grand jury for indictment. 

While a motive still isn’t clear, authorities previously suggested the murder was being investigated as a possible sex scandal but didn’t elaborate.

The case remains under investigation as police interview additional witnesses and examine both cell phones.

Stines pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and is being held at the Leslie County Jail.