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Former Kentucky Sheriff Shawn Stines Arraigned on Murder Charge for Shooting Judge: Details and Motive Uncovered

In Citizen
November 28, 2024

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A former sheriff from Kentucky, Shawn Stines, was formally charged with murder for the shooting death of a local judge in September. Stines was indicted last week for the crime.

Authored by Kendra Sanchez and Campbell Robertson

A former sheriff from Kentucky was charged with murder in court on Monday for allegedly shooting a judge in his office two months prior. The arraignment took place in the same county courthouse where the incident occurred.

Last week, Shawn Stines, a former sheriff aged 43, was charged with killing a public official in Kentucky, a crime punishable by death. Stines entered a plea of not guilty and was denied bond, being held in custody.

The reason behind the shooting in Whitesburg, a small town in eastern Kentucky, has not been disclosed by the authorities, leaving the community puzzled.

Mr. Stines, also known as Mickey, was well-liked in Letcher County. He served as a bailiff in the district court for 16 years before being elected sheriff in 2018. He was re-elected in 2022 with 75% of the vote. Shortly after a shooting incident in late September, he decided to retire. The victim of the shooting was Kevin R. Mullins, a 54-year-old who had been a district court judge for 14 years, as stated in his obituary.

During a court hearing in early October, prosecutors showed video evidence of Judge Mullins being in his office one floor below where the arraignment was happening. The video captured a man, later identified as Mr. Stines, holding a gun and confronting the judge. The man shot at the judge, causing him to fall out of his chair. The attacker then walked around the desk and fired more shots.

During the October hearing, Detective Clayton Stamper from the Kentucky State Police shared that the accused and the victim had eaten lunch together at a nearby restaurant before the shooting incident. He mentioned that there was no evidence to suggest that the shooting had been premeditated. Based on interviews with witnesses, the detective noted that there seemed to be no visible tension between the two individuals prior to the shooting.

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