The Kentucky sheriff accused of fatally shooting a judge in his chambers last week could face the death penalty if convicted, according to a special judge appointed to preside over the case.
The Sheriff of Letcher County Shawn Stines43, made his first court appearance Wednesday, he pleaded not guilty to first degree murder charges.
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines is charged with murder in the shooting death of a judge.
Leslie County Detention Center
On Thursday, Stines allegedly killed Kentucky District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, inside his chambers at the Letcher County Courthouse, officials said. The shooting reportedly occurred “after an argument inside the courthouse,” according to Kentucky State Police, and investigators are still searching for a motive.
The two had eaten lunch together the day of the shooting, Letcher County Circuit Clerk Mike Watts said Lexington ABC affiliate WTVQ on Saturday.
Stines did not appear to show emotion during the brief hearing Wednesday, where he appeared over Zoom wearing a prison uniform with his public defender, who entered a not guilty plea on Stines’ behalf.
He is expected back in court on October 1.
Referee Kevin Mullins
Letcher County Government
Mullins was found with multiple gunshot wounds after a 911 caller reported shots fired inside the courthouse, and Stines was taken into custody without incident at the courthouse, police said.
Officials have not yet determined whether Stines used his “duty” weapon in the shooting.
On Monday, just days before the shooting, Stines was impeached in a lawsuit alleging he had failed to investigate one of his deputies who sexually assaulted a woman in Mullins’ chamber.
On Friday, Whitesburg Mayor Tiffany Craft told WTVQ that society had been “shaken to its core” by the incident.
“You would never dream that something like this would ever happen in your small town,” she said, noting that Mullins and Stines had been seen as “two big pillars of the community.”
Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg, Ky.
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Watts told the station he had known both men for decades.
“Both men were my friends and work family, and I saw them almost daily when we were at work,” Watts said.