Terrifying footage shows judge cowering under his desk as he’s shot dead by sheriff inside chambers

DISTURBING surveillance video shows the infinitesimal a justice cowered down his table earlier the municipality sheriff changeable him to decease successful his ain chambers.

Former Kentucky sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines, 43, could present look the decease punishment for murdering District Judge Kevin Mullins successful a shocking country connected September 19.

Prosecutors played the terrifying video clip of Stines allegedly opening occurrence connected Mullins during the ex-sheriff's preliminary tribunal proceeding connected Tuesday successful Letcher County, Kentucky, which is astir 150 miles southeast of Lexington.

Mullins, 54, died astatine the country from aggregate gunshot wounds. Stines surrendered to constabulary aft the shooting.

The footage, which has nary audio, showed a antheral who cops identified arsenic Stines pulling retired a weapon and pointing it astatine Mullins, who sat astatine his desk.

The justice appeared to autumn to the level and the gunman walked astir the table to occurrence astatine him portion Mullins tried to instrumentality screen successful the room's corner. Stines changeable the justice 8 times.

READ MORE CRIME

Video from the proceeding revealed that viewers successful the courtroom sobbed and groaned arsenic the clip played successful court.

Stines, who stepped down arsenic sheriff connected Monday, pleaded not blameworthy to the execution past week. He reportedly looked down portion the video played successful court, according to the Associated Press.

Police haven't shared a motive for the killing, but tribunal officials revealed that Stines and Mullins, who served arsenic a justice for 15 years, had luncheon unneurotic earlier that day.

Kentucky State Police Detective Clayton Stamper said that the 2 men ate with respective different radical astatine a edifice adjacent the courthouse.

Mullins was reportedly heard asking Stines if they needed to conscionable privately successful his chambers, Stamper reported.

The detective said helium reviewed footage of the sheriff and judges' gathering successful Mullins' chambers earlier the gunfire rang out.

"Sheriff Stines uses his telephone to marque immoderate telephone calls," Stamper described the moments earlier the shooting.

"He past borrows Judge Mullins’ cellphone and appears to marque a telephone connected that.”

Stamper reported that Stines’ daughter’s telephone fig was confirmed to beryllium precocious called connected the judge’s telephone astatine the clip of his death.

He said that it's unclear who Stines called and what was said during the conversations.

"It occurred aft a telephone telephone was made,” Stamper said astir the shooting.

“I don’t cognize what was said.”

The judge’s telephone was aboriginal recovered connected his desk. Stines' telephone was with him erstwhile helium was arrested.

SHERIFF'S CHILLING PLEA

The sheriff came retired of the courtroom with his hands up successful surrender aft the shooting, Stamper testified.

“He was mostly calm, I thought,” Stamper said.

“I talked to him but helium didn’t accidental thing astir wherefore this had happened.

"Basically each helium said was ‘treat maine fair.’”

Stamper besides added that Stines told constabulary astatine his arrest, “They’re trying to kidnap my woman and kid.”

PAST LEGAL TROUBLES

Stines is being held astatine jailhouse successful different Kentucky county. He could service 20 years to beingness successful situation for the murder.

Because he’s accused of sidesplitting a nationalist official, Stines could perchance look the decease penalty. Prosecutors haven't said if they're seeking the decease punishment for the erstwhile cop.

Three days earlier the shooting, Stines was removed from a national suit vaguely related to Mullins.

In a 2022 suit filed by 2 women, 1 alleged a lawman sheriff forced her to person enactment with him wrong Mullins' backstage chambers for six months successful speech for keeping her retired of jail.

The tribunal papers alleged that Stines had "deliberate indifference successful failing to adequately bid and supervise," the accused deputy, according to section outlet the Courier Journal.

Stines fired the lawman aft the suit was filed successful 2022, the outlet reported.

Court officials said it wasn't wide if the suit was related to past month's shooting.

The U.S. Sun has reached retired to the Kentucky State Police for comment.

The Courier Journal reported section residents said Mullins and Stines were friends for years.

Stines served arsenic a bailiff successful Mullins' tribunal for respective years earlier helium was elected sheriff successful 2018, according to the Journal.

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is affected by immoderate of the issues raised successful this story, telephone RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) astatine 800-656-HOPE (4673).