Kentucky Judge Allegedly Shot Dead in His Chambers By Sheriff After Heated Argument
A sheriff in Letcher County, Kentucky, named Shawn Stines has been arrested and charged with the murder of District Judge Kevin Mullins. The incident occurred when Stines requested a private conversation with Mullins at the courthouse, which led to shots being fired. Following the shooting, Stines surrendered to police. The investigation is ongoing and, while it is known that there was an argument between the two, the motive for the shooting has not yet been disclosed. Local officials, including the county’s commonwealth attorney, have recused themselves from the case due to personal connections to Mullins. The small community of Whitesburg, where the incident took place, is reeling from the shocking event.
A sheriff has been arrested and charged with the murder of a district judge in rural Whitesburg, Kentucky.
District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, died after being shot multiple times, state police said, according to CNN.
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines was charged with first-degree murder in the case.
Other than the fact that an argument took place between the two men, there has been no information released about the motive for the shooting as the investigation is still ongoing as of Friday morning.
The shooting took place at about 3 p.m. Thursday, according to The Mountain Eagle.
JUDGE KILLED
Kentucky judge shot, killed in his chambers Thursday; sheriff arrested
Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines is accused of shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins.
Governor Andy Beshear has been informed.#Kentucky #shooting #sheriff #judge https://t.co/ErCdaWLvDM pic.twitter.com/kl8nikGKGk— The Last Show- Karen Lee (@thelastshow) September 19, 2024
Stines walked into the court house in Whitesburg and told employees in the judge’s outer office that he wanted to speak to Mullins alone.
The two men walked into the inner office and one of them closed the door.
Not long afterward, shots were heard by those outside.
Stines then walked out of the chamber and surrendered himself to police.
The building does not have cameras inside.
Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart said Stines is cooperating with authorities,
“This community is small in nature, and we’re all shook,” Gayheart said.
Gayheart also posted an update to his account, which you can see below:
Matt Butler, the commonwealth’s attorney for Letcher County, said he will recuse himself from the case according to The Associated Press.
“We all know each other here. … Anyone from Letcher County would tell you that Judge Mullins and I married sisters and that we have children who are first cousins but act like siblings,” Butler said. “For that reason, among others, I have already taken steps to recuse myself and my entire office.”
Whitesburg is a community of about 1,700 people about 145 miles southeast of Lexington in western Kentucky.
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