Sheriff Stines' motive for shooting Judge Mullins still unclear after preliminary hearing
But it looks like an emotional disturbance defense will be in play.
On September 19th in eastern Kentucky, Sheriff Mickey Stines was arrested for shooting and killing Judge Kevin Mullins in his chambers at the Letcher County Courthouse. There seemed to be little question that he was the person who pulled the trigger, so like many, I immediately wanted to know why.
Reporters quickly learned that Sheriff Stines was a named defendant in a lawsuit brought by a home detainee who claims that a deputy he hired and supervised had taken off her ankle monitor in exchange for sexual acts that took place in Judge Mullins’s chambers. The deputy was criminally convicted for the incidents. Sheriff Stines had been deposed in the civil case a few days before the shooting.
It remains unclear whether these circumstances are coincidental or causally related. In a brief preliminary hearing lasting just over half an hour, Kentucky State Police detective Clayton Stamper laid out the bare evidence to establish probable cause for the charge of first degree murder against Sheriff Stines. The crime was captured on video surveillance, and the video showing Sheriff Stines shooting Judge Mullins multiple times as Judge Mullins tried to hide behind his desk constituted the State’s entire case for probable cause. Consequently, even though the hearing was short, most of it was taken up by the defense’s cross-examination.