A preliminary hearing on Tuesday featured shocking video evidence of the fatal shooting of Kentucky District Judge Kevin Mullins in his chambers, allegedly by former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines, 43. Stines, who resigned the day before, appeared in court in jail attire and handcuffs as prosecutors laid out their case.
Judge Rupert Wilhoit found sufficient evidence to forward the first-degree murder charge to a grand jury. While Stines’s defense attorneys acknowledged that he shot Mullins, they argued he was in an “extreme emotional disturbance” during the incident, suggesting a potential case for manslaughter rather than murder.
The brief, 20-second clip from the surveillance footage showed Mullins crouching behind his desk as Stines fired multiple shots at him. Stines reportedly averted his gaze during the video, which caused emotional reactions among those present in the courtroom.
Witnesses confirmed that Stines and Mullins had shared a lunch prior to the shooting without any visible conflict, although a notable exchange occurred when Mullins asked if they needed to meet privately in his chambers. The prosecution did not clarify a motive for the shooting, but evidence showed Stines had been using Mullins’ phone prior to the attack.
Detective Clayton Stamper, the sole witness to testify, noted that Stines had attempted to contact his daughter both from his own phone and Mullins’ phone. After the shooting, Stines surrendered to law enforcement and made a perplexing comment about someone attempting to kidnap his family.
The hearing was held in West Liberty, Kentucky, nearly 100 miles from where the incident took place, with a special judge appointed to oversee the proceedings since Mullins would typically handle such preliminary hearings.