The fatal shooting of a Kentucky judge by a sheriff was apparently captured on security video — and the moments leading up to the alleged cold-blooded murder were replayed in open court this week.
Justice Kevin Mullins was sitting at his desk inside his chambers at the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg, KY, on September 19, when the sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines enters and appears to pull out a gun and shoot him several times, killing the judge.
Stines surrendered to authorities and was charged with Mullins’ murder. Investigators uncovered a possible motive, revealing that Stines allegedly found his daughter’s phone number on Mullins’ phone and called him – and a detective later confirmed that the sheriff’s daughter had received a call from the judge’s phone before the incident. .
A security camera recorded the judge’s shooting death, and the clip was played during a preliminary court hearing.
Check it out… Mullins is sitting in his chair with his hands up, apparently trying to talk sense to Stines, who is standing a few feet away, holding a pistol at his side.
Suddenly, Stines appears to point the gun at Mullins, who backs away in fear. Moments later, Stines allegedly peppers Mullins with bullets, circling the table and shooting several times at the judge lying on the floor… in the full video shown in court.
Considering the video evidence, Stines will certainly have an uphill battle convincing a jury that he’s innocent…but he pleaded not guilty anyway.
By the way, Stines is no longer the Letcher County sheriff. No real surprise there.