Mickey Stines: Shocking Video of Shooting Shown During Murder Accused Sheriff’s Hearing

CNN
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On Tuesday, a shocking video showing the murder of a Kentucky judge in his chambers was shown at the preliminary hearing of the former sheriff accused of murder.

Shawn “Mickey” Stines, 43, who officially resigned as Letcher County sheriff on Monday, appeared in court in a jail uniform and handcuffs as prosecutors presented their evidence in the murder case of District Judge Kevin Mullins.

Judge Rupert Wilhoit found it likely that the first-degree murder charge should be presented to a grand jury. Defense attorneys did not dispute that Stines shot Mullins, 54, last month, but suggested that Stines was suffering from an “extreme emotional disorder” at the time of the shooting.

“I think they initially established probable cause of manslaughter, not murder,” defense attorney Jeremy Bartley told the judge.

Stines pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder at his arraignment last week.

A clip of surveillance video from the judge’s room – with no sound – appears to show Mullins crouching behind his desk as Stines shoots him multiple times. As Stines prepares to leave the room, Stes appears to see Mullins move under his desk again and fire several more shots.

As the video played, Stines turned his head away from the screen and then lowered his gaze. Several people could be heard sobbing and moaning in the gallery on the prosecution side of the courtroom.

The video was played in court for just 20 seconds, but Kentucky State Police said the full recording of their interaction, which was not shown, was much longer.

Stines and Mullins had been having lunch with a group at a restaurant before the shooting, and neither witness noticed any anger in their conversation, according to Kentucky State Police Det. Clayton Stamper, the only witness to testify at the hearing. But Stamper said witnesses at the lunch told police about a notable exchange.

“I’m told the judge made a statement to Mickey: ‘Do we have to meet privately in my chambers?'” Stamper said.

Prosecutors did not offer a motive for the shooting, but the investigator confirmed that in a portion of the surveillance video that was not played in court, Stines was seen calling his daughter on his own phone and then asking for Mullins’ phone to be allowed to see, and the judge granted this request.

The full video shows Stines standing up and starting shooting just seconds after looking at the judge’s phone, the detective testified.

“I was told that Sheriff Stines had tried to call his daughter, and he had also tried to call his daughter from the judge’s phone,” said Stamper, who confirmed that phone records showed that calls had previously been made to Stines’ daughter’s cell phone had been taken from the judge’s phone.

According to Stamper, Stines turned himself in to law enforcement immediately after the shooting and gave a confusing statement.

“When he was taken into custody, one of the other officers there told me he said, ‘They’re trying to kidnap my wife and child,'” he said.

Stamper said Stines was “mostly calm” when he arrived at the scene.
“He basically just said, ‘Treat me fairly,'” Stamper said.

Tuesday’s hearing was held in West Liberty, Kentucky, nearly 100 miles from the Letcher County Courthouse where Mullins was killed.

The state appointed a special judge to preside over the case because Mullins would normally preside over preliminary hearings for crimes allegedly committed in Letcher County.

The hearing came a day after Stines officially resigned as sheriff, according to a letter from his lawyers obtained by CNN affiliate WKYT.

“Sheriff Stines made this decision to allow a successor to continue to protect his beloved constituents while he deals with the legal proceedings before him,” Bartley, the defense attorney, wrote.

Wilhoit told Stines at his arraignment last week that he could face the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.