Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines remained stoned face as he appeared in court for the first time after allegedly fatally shooting Judge Kevin Mullins inside the Letcher County Courthouse in Kentucky
On Wednesday Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines appeared in court for the first time
The Kentucky sheriff who allegedly shot and killed District Judge Kevin Mullins multiple times following an argument plead not guilty to first-degree murder on Wednesday.
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines appeared in court for the first time after allegedly fatally shooting Judge Kevin Mullins inside the Letcher County Courthouse in Kentucky, CNN reported. Stines appeared remotely for the virtual arraignment.
He remained stoned faced and did not speak through out the hearing. The former sheriff was questioned on his financial status after requesting a court-appointed judge and attorney.
Last Thursday Stines shot Mullins multiple times following an argument inside the Letcher County courthouse (
WYMT)
Chief Regional District Judge Ruper Wilhoit expressed skepticism about whether Stines, who said he owns two homes and earns $115,000 as sheriff, was financially strained. “Sir, 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,” public defender Josh Miller told the judge.
Last Thursday Stines shot Mullins multiple times following an argument inside the Letcher County courthouse, according to Kentucky State Police. Mullins, 54, who held the judgeship for 15 years, died at the scene, and Stines, 43, surrendered without incident. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder.
The fatal shooting stunned the tight-knit town of Whitesburg. Letcher. Mullins and Stines were actually seen together just hours before the shooting and were getting ready to go to lunch together. The interaction was normal, except that Stines seemed quieter than usual, county circuit court clerk Mike Watts told the Associated Press.
District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, who held the judgeship for 15 years, died at the scene (
Kentucky Court of Justice)
Stines had been a bailiff in Mullins’ courtroom for years before becoming sheriff, Watts said. The only thing out of the ordinary was Stines being deposed days earlier in a lawsuit filed by two women, one of whom alleged that a deputy forced her to have sex inside Mullins’ chambers for six months in exchange for staying out of jail.
The lawsuit accuses the sheriff of “deliberate indifference in failing to adequately train and supervise” the deputy. The now-former deputy sheriff, Ben Fields, pleaded guilty to raping the female prisoner while she was on home incarceration. Fields was sentenced this year to six months in jail and then six and a half years on probation for rape, sodomy, perjury and tampering with a prisoner monitoring device, The Mountain Eagle reported.
Three charges related to a second woman were dismissed because she is now dead. Stines fired Fields, who succeeded him as Mullins’ bailiff, for “conduct unbecoming” after the lawsuit was filed in 2022, The Courier Journal reported at the time.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office will collaborate with a commonwealth’s attorney in the region as special prosecutors in the crim