Sheriff’s defense in judge murder could depend on deposition in separate case: report

Former Letcher County, Kentucky Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines pleaded not blameworthy connected Monday successful the execution of District Court Judge Kevin Mullins successful the aforesaid courthouse wherever the lawman opened occurrence upon the jurist successful September.

Attorney Jeremy Bartley said Monday that Stines has a "compelling defense" lined up to warrant the shooting of his longtime workfellow successful his office, the Courier-Journal reported.

The timing of the sheriff's deposition successful a enactment abuse-related suit earlier that period is "certainly thing that's going to beryllium important successful this case," Bartley added, according to the newspaper.

"I bash judge that that is simply a piece," Bartley said aft Monday's tribunal proceedings, which lasted astir 5 minutes. "This is simply a ample story. It's a communicative that, successful immoderate ways, is hard to tell. We look guardant to sharing a much implicit mentation of that arsenic we spell done this judicial process."

SHERIFF ALLEGEDLY GUNS DOWN JUDGE IN HIS OWN CHAMBER IN EXECUTION CAUGHT ON VIDEO; INDICTMENT RETURNED

Shawn "Mickey" Stines during a preliminary proceeding astatine Morgan County District Court connected Oct. 1, 2024. (Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Prosecuting Attorney Jackie Steele declined to remark erstwhile asked if helium thought the deposition factored into the shooting, but said that helium does not expect Stines to look immoderate further charges beyond execution of a nationalist official. He told the outlet that it is inactive excessively aboriginal to cognize whether helium plans to prosecute the death penalty successful the case.

The suit successful question was filed by 2 women, 1 of whom alleged that Letcher County lawman Ben Fields forced her to execute intersexual favors wrong the aforesaid judge’s chambers wherever the shooting took place, wherever determination were nary cameras. The woman, who was connected location arrest, accused the lawman of repeatedly sexually assaulting her for six months successful speech for staying retired of jail. 

Stines was accused successful the suit of "deliberate indifference successful failing to adequately bid and supervise" Fields, who was convicted connected authorities charges and spent respective months successful jail. That litigation is pending. 

Attorneys for the plaintiffs successful that lawsuit said Stines' deposition lasted respective hours, and that they were amazed by the shooting, according to the Courier-Journal.

Ned Pillersdorf, 1 of the attorneys representing the plaintiff, told the outlet that he's heard varying opinions connected whether the deposition is connected to the Sept. 19 shooting. His co-counsel took the deposition, helium said, and recalled that Stines had an "odd demeanor" throughout.

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

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

Stines was denied enslaved connected Monday. Bartley said they planned to record a question for adversarial bond, but told the outlet that it was "unlikely" to beryllium successful. 

Retired Judge Julia H. Adams, who was appointed to service arsenic peculiar justice successful Stines' case, told the outlet that she decided not to assistance the erstwhile sheriff enslaved aft "significant consideration," citing the superior discourtesy complaint arsenic a cardinal origin successful her decision.

Defense lawyer Jeremy Bartley asked questions of KSP Detective Clayton Stamper astatine Shawn "Mickey" Stines preliminary proceeding astatine Morgan County District Court. Oct. 1, 2024 (Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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

District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, 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)

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, the Courier-Journal reported. 

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.

"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.

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

Former Letcher County Ky. Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines looks implicit astatine the prosecutors during his arraignment astatine the Morgan County Courthouse successful West Liberty, Ky., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Stines is accused of sidesplitting District Judge Kevin Mullins. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

"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.’"

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

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Bartley antecedently 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."