Sheriff allegedly guns down judge in his own chamber in execution caught on video; indictment returned

Former Kentucky Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines was indicted Thursday successful the shooting decease of a justice successful his chambers. 

A Letcher County expansive assemblage indicted Stines connected 1 number of murder of a nationalist official connected Thursday, according to a property merchandise from Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman's office. His arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 25 astatine noon, according to online tribunal records.

Stines, 43, was arrested and charged with first-degree execution aft authorities said helium changeable his longtime colleague, District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, aggregate times connected Sept. 19 successful an onslaught caught connected surveillance footage.

KENTUCKY SHERIFF CHARGED IN JUDGE'S MURDER DID NOT PLAN KILLING, CAUGHT IN 'HEAT OF PASSION': LAWYER

Former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines, right, tin beryllium seen pointing his weapon astatine District Court Judge Kevin Mullins. (Letcher County handout)

Stines pleaded not blameworthy connected Sept. 25. He formally resigned arsenic sheriff astatine the extremity of September aft receiving a missive from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Kentucky General Counsel S. Travis Mayo urged him to bash so. He is being held 2 counties distant astatine Leslie County Jail, constabulary said.

It is inactive unclear what motivated the erstwhile sheriff to pull the trigger. 

Kentucky State Police Det. Clayton Stamper testified astatine the preliminary proceeding that the 2 men had eaten luncheon unneurotic with a radical successful the hours earlier the shooting, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. 

According to Stamper, Stines attempted to telephone his girl connected his ain phone, past connected Mullins' phone.

"Our investigators seized the 2 cellphones, and they’re being analyzed," Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart antecedently told the Daily Mail.

KENTUCKY SHERIFF CHARGED WITH FATALLY SHOOTING JUDGE DEPOSED IN RAPE-RELATED CASE DAYS EARLIER

District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, left, was killed by Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines, 43, successful his judge's chambers, authorities said. (Kentucky Court of Justice ;Letcher County Sheriff's Office)

"I was told that the justice made a connection to Mickey about, ‘Do we request to conscionable backstage successful my chambers?’" Stamper testified, The Associated Press reported.

"It could be, but I don’t cognize that for a fact," Stamper said erstwhile asked whether Stines was motivated to sprout Mullins based connected what helium saw connected the judge's phone.

"I talked to him, but helium didn’t accidental thing astir wherefore this had happened," Stamper said, according to the AP. "But helium was calm… Basically, each helium said was, ‘Treat maine fair.’"

NEW VIDEO SHOWS KENTUCKY SHERIFF POINTING GUN AT JUDGE BEFORE ALLEGED FATAL SHOOTING

Former Letcher County, Kentucky, Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines wipes his eyes arsenic helium listens to grounds during his arraignment astatine the Morgan County Courthouse successful West Liberty, Kentucky, connected Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Stines is accused successful the shooting decease of Ky. District Judge Kevin Mullins. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

When Stines was taken into custody, helium allegedly told different officer, "they're trying to kidnap my woman and kid," Stamper said.

Days earlier, Stines was deposed successful a suit filed by 2 women, 1 of whom alleged that a lawman forced her to person enactment wrong the aforesaid judge’s chambers wherever the shooting took place. The pistillate claimed the lawman repeatedly sexually assaulted her for six months successful speech for staying retired of jail.

The suit accuses the sheriff of "deliberate indifference successful failing to adequately bid and supervise" the deputy.

This booking photograph provided by Leslie County Detention Center successful Kentucky connected Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 shows Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines. (Leslie County Detention Center via AP)

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Stines' defence attorney, Jeremy Bartley, told People that the shooting "was not thing that was planned and occurred successful the vigor of passion."

"For us, the highest level of culpability should beryllium manslaughter based connected the partial defence of utmost affectional disturbance," Bartley said.

The shooting successful the metropolis of Whitesburg has shaken the assemblage of Letcher County, Kentucky, wherever Stines served arsenic a bailiff successful Mullins' tribunal earlier becoming sheriff successful 2018. 

"We're each successful a authorities of daze implicit it," Garnard Kincer Jr., Mullins’ person and erstwhile politician of Jenkins, told People. "It practically immobilized us. We conscionable can't judge it happened."