Kentucky sheriff charged in judge's murder did not plan killing, caught in 'heat of passion': lawyer

Shawn “Mickey” Stines, the Kentucky sheriff accused of shooting a district judge dead in his chambers, did not plan the killing and was not in his right mind, according to his lawyer. 

“It was not something that was planned and occurred in the heat of passion,” defense attorney Jeremy Bartley told People. “For us, the highest level of culpability should be manslaughter based on the partial defense of extreme emotional disturbance.”

A video of the shooting, played without audio during an Oct. 1 preliminary hearing, allegedly showed Letcher County Sheriff Stines shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins multiple times as he sat at his desk on Sept. 19.

The sheriff, the judge’s longtime colleague and friend, allegedly continued to fire after Mullins fell to the floor. 

KENTUCKY SHERIFF SEEN IN FOOTAGE SHOOTING AT JUDGE IN SHOCKING PRELIMINARY HEARING

“We believe there had to be a compelling reason for Sheriff Stines to feel like he had to take action,” Bartley said. “We are looking forward to obtaining additional information and begin[ning] to tell his story.”

Kentucky State Police Detective Clayton Stamper testified at the preliminary hearing that the two men had eaten lunch together with a group in the hours before the shooting, according to the Louisville Courier Journal. 

“I was told that the judge made a statement to Mickey about, ‘Do we need to meet private in my chambers?’” Stamper testified, the Associated Press reported.

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District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was killed by Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines, 43, in his judge’s chambers, authorities said. (Kentucky Court of Justice; Letcher County Sheriff’s Office)

According to Stamper, Stines attempted to call his daughter on his own phone, then on Mullins’ phone – according to the AP, Stines’ daughter was stored in Mullins’ contacts. 

“It could be, but I don’t know that for a fact,” Stamper said when asked whether Stines was motivated to shoot Mullins based on what he saw on the judge’s phone.

NEW VIDEO SHOWS KENTUCKY SHERIFF POINTING GUN AT JUDGE BEFORE ALLEGED FATAL SHOOTING

Kentucky sheriff seen pointing his gun at the judge in his chambers. (Letcher County handout)

“I talked to him, but he didn’t say nothing about why this had happened,” Stamper said, according to the AP. “But he was calm… Basically, all he said was, ‘Treat me fair.’”

When Stines was taken into custody, he allegedly told another officer, “they’re trying to kidnap my wife and kid,” Stamper said.

Shawn “Mickey” Stines wipes his eyes as he listens to testimony during his arraignment on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

The shooting in the city of Whitesburg has shaken the community of Letcher County, Kentucky, where Stines served as a bailiff in Mullins’ court before becoming sheriff in 2018. 

“We’re all in a state of shock over it,” Garnard Kincer Jr., Mullins’ friend and former mayor of Jenkins, told People. “It practically immobilized us. We just can’t believe it happened.”

Booking photo of Shawn Stines, provided by Leslie County Detention Center in Kentucky on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Leslie County Detention Center via AP)

Stines resigned as sheriff last week, but has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder. A judge determined at the Oct. 2 hearing that there was sufficient evidence to move forward with the case. 

Bartley could not be reached for comment at press time.