Kentucky sheriff charged with fatally shooting judge pleads not guilty
Booking photo of Shawn Stines, 43. (Credit: Leslie County, Kentucky Detention Center)
A Kentucky sheriff pleaded not guilty to the fatal shooting of a county district judge during his first court appearance on Wednesday.
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines, 43, stood accused of fatally shooting Judge Kevin Mullins inside his chambers last Thursday, a tragedy that shocked and saddened their tight-knit community.
What happened during Stines’ 1st court appearance?
Stines’ first appearance on Wednesday revolved around his ability to pay for his own attorney.
He was assigned a public defender who said Stines could incur significant costs and would soon be losing his job as sheriff.
The judge asked Stines if he had been looking for an attorney to represent him, but Stines said it was difficult to get in contact with people from jail.
There was no discussion of a bond during the hearing, and the judge indicated that the maximum punishment in the case would be the death penalty.
Motive of shooting still unknown
Preliminary investigations showed evidence that Stines shot Mullins following an argument on Sept. 19 in the Letcher County courthouse.
Mullins, 54, died at the scene and Stines surrendered himself to law enforcement minutes later without incident.
Police have not revealed a possible motive for the shooting.
Who was Judge Kevin Mullins?
Image of District Judge Kevin Mullins. (Kentucky Court of Justice)
Mullins served as a district judge in Letcher County since he was appointed by former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009 and elected the following year.
Mullins was known for promoting substance abuse treatment for people involved in the justice system and helped hundreds of residents enter inpatient residential treatment, according to the Associated Press, citing a program for a drug summit he spoke at in 2022.
He also helped develop a program called Addiction Recovery Care to offer peer support services in the courthouse. The program was adopted in at least 50 counties in Kentucky.
Mullins also served as a founding member of the Responsive Effort to Support Treatment in Opioid Recovery Efforts Leadership Team.