Accused Kentucky law enforcement official, charged with fatally shooting a judge within the judge's chambers, will face arraignment today.
Sheriff of Letcher County, Shawn M. Stines, 43, was captured at the county courthouse in Whitesburg on Thursday under suspicion of fatally shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, inside Mullins' chambers.
Stines, who reportedly turned himself in following the shooting, will make a video appearance from Leslie County jail – located a couple of counties west of where he was once the sheriff and where the murder occurred – during Wednesday's arraignment. The hearing itself will take place in a Carter County courthouse, approximately 100 miles away from the crime scene, with the Letcher County courthouse remaining closed due to the incident.
Stines was in charge of ensuring courthouse security, including judge protection, as per the Kentucky Sheriff’s Association. He now faces a first-degree murder charge, and it's uncertain who will assume his role as sheriff.
The shooting has left the small, closely-knit community of Letcher County reeling, as residents grapple with unanswered questions regarding the source of the dispute between two distinguished public figures in an incident that has sent shockwaves throughout the area.
The series of events leading to the fatal shooting in the judge's chambers that afternoon remains under investigation, authorities confirmed.
While other individuals were present in the building when the judge was shot, no one else was in his chambers, as stated by Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart.
Camera footage exists within the building, and all involved parties will be interviewed, Gayheart reassured, while emphasizing that this is the county's first encounter with such a scale of tragedy.
Stines and Mullins shared a meal together before the shooting, Circuit Court Clerk Mike Watts told CNN affiliate WKYT.
"The entire county is devastated by this," Watts told WKYT, referring to the void left in the local justice system, losing both the sheriff and district judge, as well as two close colleagues.
Just days before the shooting, on September 16, Stines gave testimony in an ongoing federal lawsuit involving a former deputy alleged of coercing a woman into sexual activity in 2021, CNN previously reported. The lawsuit accuses Stines of failing to adequately investigate the allegations against the deputy.
Jonathan Shaw, Stines' attorney in the lawsuit, declined to comment on Stines' personal involvement in the federal lawsuit or murder case.
A violent act between 'brothers in love,' county attorney says
Many residents were familiar with both the sheriff and judge, who were friends of both Stines and Mullins. Stunned by the killing, friends of both men are struggling to comprehend why it happened.
The day appeared routine in court until police received a 911 call around 2:55 p.m. Thursday reporting gunshots within the courthouse building, state police shared.
In response to reports of an active shooter within the courthouse, court security officer Wallace Kincer and Circuit Court Clerk Mike Watts stepped into action, leading attorneys and court personnel away from any potential danger lingering in the judges' chambers, according to Matt Butler, commonwealth's attorney for Letcher County.
Tension gripped the county as students in Letcher County Public Schools were placed on lockdown shortly before 3:30 p.m.
Mullins was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the scene, police revealed.
Butler recused himself from prosecuting the sheriff due to his close relationship with the judge, explaining, "I married two sisters, and their children feel more like siblings than cousins."
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman's office will work together with Jackie Steele, the Commonwealth's Attorney assigned to the case, as special prosecutors, he announced.
Some residents, including Butler, are advocating for more robust security measures in the courthouse, such as installing a metal detector and hiring security personnel at the entrance.
"The Letcher County Courthouse is one of the remaining places that you can enter without a metal detector or security at the front door," said Butler, who described the situation as "unacceptable."
Mullins is survived by his wife and two daughters, his obituary reports. "He spent his career working in his chambers of the courthouse, where he devoted himself to helping people," the obituary states.
As a passionate advocate for recovery efforts statewide, Mullins worked to improve access to treatment for substance abuse and mental health issues, the obituary explains.
CNN’s Andrew Rose, Dalia Faheid, and Dakin Andone contributed to this report.
During the arraignment, Stines will make his video appearance from Leslie County jail, a couple of counties west of where he was once the sheriff and where the murder occurred. The closely-knit community of Letcher County, where the crime took place, is reeling from the incident and struggling to understand the source of the dispute between the two public figures.
