Shawn Stines, a Kentucky sheriff, was charged with the murder of District Judge Kevin Mullins. Allegedly, Stines shot and killed Mullins at the Letcher County Courthouse following an argument. Per the Courier Journal, Stines had a preliminary hearing where a video was shown of the alleged crime taking place. (Warning: While the video I'm about to post here blurs any actual violence, the implied graphic nature of it may be upsetting for some viewers.)
NEW: Woman bawls in court as video footage of Kentucky sheriff Shawn Stines k*lling Judge Kevin Mullins is shown.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 1, 2024
Stines is accused of m*rdering his longtime friend after seeing something on his cellphone.
New details reveal that after Mullins and Stines had lunch together, the? pic.twitter.com/qyQe6kPj1g
Reportedly, at the time of Stines' arrest, he asked police to "treat him fair." Stines also allegedly told police, "They're trying to kidnap my wife and kid." Clayton Stamper, a Kentucky State Police Detective, testified that the full video shows "Stines using his own phone to make multiple calls, then using the judge's phone to make a call."
Stamper says that the calls were made to Stines' daughter. Subsequently, the phones were taken to forensic teams for further examination. It was noted that Stines' daughter's phone number was saved within Mullins' phone. Stamper says earlier that day, Stines and Mullins went to lunch with multiple people. A witness claims that Mullins asked Stines if they needed to meet privately.
Video Allegedly Shows Kentucky Sheriff Shooting And Killing A District Judge
Defense Attorney Jeremy Bartley added further context to Stines' state of mind, confirming the assertions that Stines said that his family was being threatened -- but offered no further motive. "I left the hearing today with a lot of questions still unanswered myself," Bartley admitted. "We hoped that there may be more light that would be shed on the preceding events."
Bartley hadn't seen the full video of the incident. However, Bartley asserts that whatever happened preceding the video's contents is "just as important as the portion we saw." The case appears to have an additional layer of confusion as, according to many, Stines and Mullins were friends. Prior to being made sheriff, Stines was Mullins' bailiff for several years. For now, though, we at Wide Open Country will have to wait until more details are revealed surrounding the ongoing case. When we know more, we'll be sure to keep our readership informed.
