Sheriff charged in courthouse murder of judge enters plea as mystery motive rocks small town

A Kentucky sheriff accused of gunning down a judge in his own courthouse chambers pleaded not guilty to murder Wednesday — while a possible motive for the slaying that has rocked the small town remains a mystery.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines, 43, is accused of killing 54-year-old Judge Kevin Mullins at his Whitesville courthouse on Thursday, leaving the jurist riddled with bullets in the office where he’d served for 15 years.

Prosecutors did not offer a motive for the alleged killing during his arraignment but previous reports suggested the two — who had known each other well for years in their small town — had gotten into some kind of dispute prior to the shooting.

Stines remains behind bars and is being held without bond, according to CNN.

Shots rang out in the middle of the afternoon at the courthouse about 150 miles southeast of Lexington — just hours after the pair reportedly had lunch together.

A number of nearby schools were sent into lockdown as police descended on the scene and discovered Mullins’ body.

Just days earlier, Stines was deposed as part of a federal lawsuit into whether his office adequately investigated sexual assault allegations against a deputy.

That deputy was accused of trading sexual favors from a woman in return for her being placed on house arrest instead of going to jail — and those sexual favors allegedly happened in Judge Mullins’ office, according to Fox 19 Now.

Regardless of his guilt or innocence, Stines’ position as sheriff is in jeopardy as his office was charged with the security of the courthouse and its judges, CNN reported.

“It’s my understanding that he is in the process of losing his job as sheriff of Letcher County, obviously, and will not have income going forward,” said public defender Josh Miller during the arraignment.

Stines is charged with first-degree murder. He has served as Letcher County sheriff since 2018.