Kentucky Sheriff Accused of Killing Judge in Courthouse Shooting

Sheriff Shoots Judge in Courthouse

A Ken­tucky sher­iff has turned him­self in for alleged­ly shoot­ing a judge dead inside his cham­bers on Thurs­day after ask­ing staff if he could speak with him. 

Lechter Coun­ty Sher­iff Mick­ey Stines, 43, sur­ren­dered him­self to police fol­low­ing the shoot­ing death of Dis­trict Court Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, at the Coun­ty Cour­t­house at around 3pm.

Judge’s Reputation and Background

Mullins was appoint­ed to serve as a judge in the state’s 47th dis­trict under for­mer Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009. He over­saw a vari­ety of cas­es includ­ing juve­nile mat­ters, city and coun­ty ordi­nances, mis­de­meanors, traf­fic offens­es, and domes­tic vio­lence cases. 

Mullins also gained recog­ni­tion for his efforts to treat those with drug addic­tion rather than incar­cer­ate them, start­ing a pro­gram in 2010 that allowed inmates with sub­stance abuse dis­or­ders to enroll in inpa­tient treat­ment as a con­di­tion of pre­tri­al release.

Circumstances of the Shooting

The sher­iff alleged­ly walked into the judge’s out­er office, told court employ­ees and oth­ers gath­ered there he need­ed to speak to Mullins alone. 

He and Mullins then entered the judge’s inner office, closed the door and those out­side heard gun­shots, accord­ing to The Moun­tain Eagle. 

Stines then walked out with his hands raised and sur­ren­dered to offi­cers, who placed him in hand­cuffs. He was charged with one count of first-degree murder.

Ongoing Investigation and Reactions

A motive for the shoot­ing remains unclear, and Ken­tucky State Police and Lechter Coun­ty Coro­ner Per­ry Fowler were still inves­ti­gat­ing the scene as of 5pm local time.

The Ken­tucky Court of Jus­tice has expressed its deep­est sym­pa­thies and said it is in con­tact with law enforce­ment agen­cies to offer sup­port dur­ing this dif­fi­cult time.