Kentucky sheriff accused of fatally shooting judge in chambers, to go on trial today – Boston News, Weather, Sports

(CNN) — Authorities say Kentucky sheriff Shot dead a prominent district judge The defendant, who appeared in court last week following an argument between two men, is expected to go on trial again on Wednesday, away from the tight-knit community that was deeply shaken by the incident.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines, 43, was arrested Thursday at the county courthouse in Whitesburg on suspicion of fatally shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54.

Stines, who authorities say surrendered after the shooting, will appear in court Wednesday on video footage from the Leslie County Jail, where he was arrested a few counties west of where he was the sheriff and where the judge was killed.

The hearing was originally scheduled to be held in Mullins’ home courtroom, but it is still closed this week because of the murder. Instead, the hearing will be conducted by a judge at a Carter County courthouse about 100 miles from the crime scene, according to court officials.

Stines’ job made him responsible for: Security in county courthousesIncluding the personal safety of judges, according to the Kentucky Sheriffs’ Association. He now faces a first-degree murder charge and it’s unclear who will replace him as sheriff.

Authorities said what happened in the judge’s chambers just before the deadly shooting that afternoon is still being investigated. Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart said there were other people in the building when the judge was shot, but no one else was in his chambers.

Gayheart said there were cameras inside the building and that all witnesses would be heard, and emphasized that this was the first time a tragedy of “this magnitude” had occurred in the district.

Stines and Mullins had lunch together a few hours before the shooting, District Court Clerk Mike Watts said. CNN affiliate WKYT.

“The entire county is devastated by this,” Watts told WKYT, shaking his head at the gap in the local justice system. “Not only did we lose our sheriff and our district judge, but I lost two personal friends who I worked with every day.”

Stines testified on Sept. 16 as part of an ongoing federal trial involving a former aide who allegedly forced a woman into having sex with him in 2021, CNN previously reported.

The lawsuit alleges that sexual allegations against the deputy were “not appropriately investigated by Sheriff Stines” and that he fired the deputy in 2022.

Jonathan Shaw, the attorney representing Stines in his official capacity in the case, told CNN in an email that he was not authorized to speak on behalf of Stines personally in the federal case or in the murder case.

Violence between two men ‘We loved like brothers’ says district prosecutor

Many residents knew the two prominent figures in the community, and friends of both the sheriff and the judge said they were baffled by the murder and were trying to understand why it had happened.

State police said a seemingly quiet and routine day in court turned chaotic when police received a 911 call around 3 p.m. Thursday reporting gunshots inside the courthouse.

Upon hearing reports of an active shooter in the courthouse, court security officer Wallace Kincer and district court clerk Watts sprang into action, clearing attorneys and court personnel from an unknown danger lurking in the courtroom, according to Letcher County attorney Matt Butler.

Fear gripped the district as students at Letcher County Public Schools were quarantined shortly before 3:30 p.m.

Police said Mullins was found with multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene.

Butler said last week that he and his office were recusing themselves from the sheriff’s lawsuit because he and the judge married two sisters and their children acted more like siblings than cousins.

“Our community was subjected to an act of violence that appears to have occurred between two men I have worked with for seventeen years and love like brothers,” Butler said in a post on social media.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office will work as a special prosecutor on the case, along with Commonwealth Attorney Jackie Steele, who was assigned to the case.

Some residents, including Butler, are calling for more security protocols at the courthouse, such as installing metal detectors and increased security at the entrance.

“The Letcher County Courthouse is one of the last places you can go into without a metal detector or security at the front door,” Butler said, calling it “unacceptable.”

Mullins is survived by his wife and two daughters. obituary “He died in his courtroom, where he spent his career working to help people,” his obituary said.

According to her obituary, Mullins was “a passionate advocate for recovery efforts across Kentucky,” combating the opioid epidemic by providing access to treatment and helping those affected by substance use disorders, mental illness and disabilities.