Kentucky sheriff charged with killing judge pleads not guilty to murder charge to

The Kentucky sheriff of a small Appalachian county who is accused of walking into a judge’s chambers and fatally shooting him pleaded not guilty to a murder charge on Wednesday.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines, 43, is being held in another Kentucky county but was arraigned by video Wednesday before a special judge, who is standing in for the judge who was gunned down, Letcher County District Judge Kevin Mullins.

Wearing a gray jail uniform, Stines showed no emotion while appearing via video for the brief hearing. He appeared alongside a public defender, who entered the not guilty plea on his behalf. The special judge, Carter County District Judge H. Rupert Wilhoit III, conducted the hearing from his courtroom in northeastern Kentucky. There was no discussion of a bond during the hearing, and the judge indicated that the maximum punishment in the case would be the death penalty.

It was the first court appearance for Stines since the shooting, which shocked the residents of Whitesburg, a small town located about two-and-a-half hours southeast of Lexington, near the Virginia border. 

The preliminary investigation indicates Stines shot Mullins multiple times on Sept. 19 following an argument in the courthouse, according to Kentucky State Police. Mullins, 54, who held the judgeship since 2009, died at the scene, and Stines, 43, surrendered minutes later without incident. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder.

Police have not offered any details about a possible motive. 

The Kentucky attorney general’s office is collaborating with a special prosecutor in the case. Lead county prosecutor Matt Butler, who recused himself and his office from the investigation citing social and family ties to Mullins, said in a statement that the judge was well-liked by his neighbors. 

“We all know each other here. … Anyone from Letcher County would tell you that Judge Mullins and I married sisters and that we have children who are first cousins but act like siblings,” Butler said in statement from his office. 

In Letcher County, those who know the sheriff and the judge had nothing but praise for them, recalling how Mullins helped people with substance abuse disorder get treatment and how Stines led efforts to combat the opioid crisis. They worked together for years and were friends.

Mullins served as a district judge in Letcher County since he was appointed by former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009 and elected the following year. 

A federal lawsuit accused Stines of failing to investigate allegations that one of his deputies repeatedly sexually abused a woman in Mullins’ chambers while serving as a bailiff for the judge, CBS News previously reported. Stines was deposed three days before the shooting.