A close-knit community is divided after the shocking revelation that a sheriff shot and killed his 20-year-old partner, a beloved county judge, after “finding a number saved in his cell phone.”
During a preliminary hearing Tuesday, the public got its first glimpse into the reason for the Sept. 19 tragedy, learning that the shooting took place seconds after Lechter County Sheriff Shawn ‘Mickey’ Stines of 43 years old, discovered his daughter’s number stored in District Court Judge Kevin. Mullins’ phone.
Stines was seen on CCTV footage firing eight shots at Mullins as he hid under his desk in the corner of the room.
But his lawyer probed lead investigator Clayton Stamper about the moments immediately preceding that video, indicating that they revealed the crucial moment when the friendship between the two men went south.
The defense asked: “How long after you looked at the cell phone and stood up did this occur?”
“Just a few seconds,” Stamper revealed.
In the wake of the shooting, Mullins’ wife, Kimberly, shared a devastated tribute to her husband.
The court heard that Stines had found his daughter’s number on Mullins’ phone and had tried to call his daughter from the judge’s phone.
Both men were well-liked and respected within the small community of Whitesburg, which has a population of just under 1,800 people.
Locals were perplexed by the incident because the duo had been colleagues and friends for the better part of 20 years, and were often seen having lunch during the week at the popular Streetside Grill & Bar on Main Street.
They were together in the restaurant just hours before the shooting and, according to witnesses who spoke to DailyMail.com, everything seemed normal.
But there was a moment toward the end of lunch that indicated something was wrong. One of the other guests overheard Mullins ask Stines, “Do we need to meet privately in my rooms?”
The defense will argue that there was no intention for the shooting to occur and that it was sparked solely by the contents of Mullins’ phone.
Judge Mullins was well-liked and respected within the small community of Whitesburg, which has a population of just under 1,800 people.
The sheriff wiped his eyes as he listened to testimony Tuesday.
Stamper said the cell phones involved in the case are being scanned and downloaded by forensics, but revealed that he “hopes to know” what exactly was open on Mullins’ phone at the time of the shooting.
The court heard investigators have found “no evidence (to suggest) this shooting was pre-planned.”
The defense asked: “Are you aware of anything so far in your investigation that tells us there was any problem at lunch?”
Stamper said, “No.”
While the judge found there was probable cause to present the murder charge (to which Stines pleaded not guilty) to a grand jury, the defense argued otherwise.
“I believe they have first established probable cause for manslaughter, not murder,” the court heard.
“I haven’t heard anything to indicate that this is not an example of an extreme emotional disorder related to the telephone.”
In chilling footage played in the opening minutes of his preliminary hearing Tuesday, Stines repeatedly shot Mullins, 54, as he sat behind his desk.
Mullins attempted to hide behind the desk and chair in the corner of the room as Stines continued shooting, before finally leaving the room.
Mullins was appointed to serve as a judge in the state’s 47th District under former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009.
In the wake of the shooting, Mullins’ wife, Kimberly, shared a devastated tribute to her husband.
“Proud to be the wife of this irreplaceable man,” she wrote.
‘Kevin was many things to many people. But he was everything to me and my daughters.
His tribute sparked an outpouring of love and support from people within the community who were also mourning the judge’s shocking death.
One mourner said: ‘You all were everything to him. There will never be another more passionate about this county and its people.’
But Stines was also a well-known and respected authority in the community, and there are many more people eagerly awaiting a future trial to find out what prompted his outburst.
“Mickey Stines was obviously not a corrupt sheriff,” said one local.
Before winning the sheriff’s seat in 2018, Stines had served as sheriff in the Mullins courthouse for years.