A Kentucky sheriff exchanged phone calls with a local judge before shooting him dead in his office, according to a new report.
District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was shot and killed in his office after a brief argument with Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines, 44, according to police.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear, but video from the judge’s office shows the two men looking at their phones before Stines opened fire, sources said. The mountain eagle.
Sheriff Stines had entered the courtroom and asked to speak to Mullins privately before heading to the judge’s office.
After a brief conversation, Stines allegedly stood up to close the door and each man pulled out his cell phone and handed it to the other, the local outlet reported.
District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was shot and killed in his office after a brief argument with Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines, 44, according to police.
Stines had entered the courtroom and asked to speak to Mullins privately before heading to the judge’s office.
Stines then allegedly pulled out his gun, walked around the judge’s desk and shot him repeatedly as Mullins fell to the ground.
The sheriff and the judge had apparently had lunch together with other court employees hours before the murder.
Stines, a beloved father of two who reportedly planned to retire when his term ended, has been charged with first-degree murder.
He was a bailiff for Judge Mullins before becoming sheriff in 2018.
Mullins, who served as judge for 15 years, died at the scene and Stines surrendered without incident.
The fatal shooting sent shockwaves through a tight-knit Appalachian town and county seat of about 1,700 residents located about 145 miles southeast of Lexington.
Chief County Attorney Matt Butler described an outpouring of sympathy as he recused himself and his office from investigations into the shooting, citing social and family ties to Mullins.
The sheriff and the judge had apparently had lunch together with other court employees hours before the murder.
“We all know each other here… Anyone from Letcher County would tell you that Judge Mullins and I married sisters and have children who are first cousins but act like brothers,” Butler said in a statement from his office.
‘For that reason, among others, I have already taken steps to recuse myself and my entire office.’
Letcher County Judge-Executive on Friday signed an order closing the county courthouse where the shooting took place.
Mullins was appointed to serve as a judge in the state’s 47th District under former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009.
He oversaw juvenile matters, city and county ordinances, misdemeanors, traffic violations, arraignments, felony probable cause hearings, claims involving $2,500 or less, civil cases involving $5,000 or less, voluntary and involuntary mental commitments and domestic violence cases, according to a Letcher County website.
Stines, a beloved father of two who reportedly planned to retire when his term ended, has been charged with first-degree murder.
Letcher County Judge-Executive on Friday signed an order closing the county courthouse where the shooting took place.
Mullins also gained recognition for his efforts to treat those with drug addiction rather than incarcerate them, starting a program in 2010 that allowed inmates with substance abuse disorders to enroll in inpatient treatment as a condition of pretrial release.
He previously served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for nine and a half years, focusing on drug-related crimes.
Meanwhile, Stines was elected sheriff in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.
