Weeping in Courtroom as Video of Judge's Shooting Plays

Former sheriff has pleaded not guilty in Kentucky case
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 2, 2024 2:30 AM CDT

Video of the fatal shooting of a Kentucky judge was shown in court Tuesday at the preliminary hearing for the former sheriff—and longtime friend of the judge—charged with his murder. Shawn "Mickey" Stines, 43, who resigned as Letcher County sheriff Monday, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder last week. On the video shown in court, he can allegedly be seen shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, multiple times as Mullins tries to hide behind his desk, reports CNN, which calls the video "shocking." Toward the end, Stines can allegedly be seen seemingly noticing Mullins still moving underneath his desk and reacting by shooting him again before walking out of Mullins' office. Weeping was heard in the courtroom as the video played, WHAS 11 reports.

  • Kentucky State Police said the 20-second clip is just a brief moment from the full video, which shows their entire interaction. Prior to their meeting in Mullins' office, the two had lunch with a larger group at a restaurant, and no witnesses reported any sign of anger between them. But one state police detective said during his testimony, "I was told that the judge made a statement to Mickey about, 'Do we need to meet private in my chambers?'"
  • The detective also testified that in the full video, Stines can be seen calling his daughter from his own phone, then asking to see Mullins' phone. The detective said, per WLKY, that Stines' daughter's number was "on there" and Stines called her from Mullins' phone, then started shooting seconds later.
  • Prosecutors have not put forth a potential motive in the case. The defense has not denied Stines shot Mullins, but lawyers say he was experiencing an "extreme emotional disturbance" at the time. Testimony revealed that after the shooting, officers heard Stines saying someone was trying to kidnap his wife and kid.
(More Kentucky stories.)

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