Once friends and co-workers in the same county courthouse have now become a murderer and a corpse. Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines, 43, shot Kentucky District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, at the Letcher County Courthouse Thursday afternoon. The fact that it took place in a courthouse in a town that lacks homicides makes it a sensational crime and has raised alarm in the county.
This murder left people with more questions than answers as to what happened exactly. What’s the motive behind the murder? What will the county do now that their sheriff has been arrested and their only judge has been murdered? Everyone involved is trying their best to have these questions answered and while we get these answers, here are the details and latest updates concerning this atrocious crime.
What Happened in Kevin Mullins’ Murder
Per the USA Today report, 911 received a call of gunshots being heard inside the courthouse. Police found Mullins with gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Stines was arrested without incident and is charged with one count of first-degree murder. According to Kentucky State Police spokesperson Matt Gayheart, Mullins was murdered following an argument with Stines. As of this moment, no official motive has been declared.
Police are still investigating the shooting, and Letcher County Commonwealth’s Attorney Matt Butler recused himself from the case. This is due to the fact that he was personally close to Mullins and professionally close to Stines. In addition, both Mullins and Butler were married to a pair of sisters and were the uncles of each other’s children. The courthouse was closed on Friday, as ordered by Letcher County Judge/Executive Terry Adams, ABC News states, and they are currently not accepting court filings. Furthermore, A local high school and college both went into lockdown on Thursday in the wake of the shooting, based on a call from Kentucky State Police.
What to Know About Shawn Stines
Shawn Stines, nicknamed Mickey, was a bailiff at the Letcher County District Court until he was elected sheriff in 2018. Turns out that Stines is the defendant in a federal lawsuit filed in 2022. Based on the Courier Journal report, The lawsuit focuses on plaintiff Sabrina Adkins’ who claims that former Letcher County Deputy Sheriff Ben Fields gave her “favorable treatment” which cost her “sexual favors,” according to court records. Stines is a defendant in this lawsuit as he failed to train and supervise Fields properly and failed to respond to reports or suspicions, despite Stines firing Fields for his conduct. Whether this lawsuit is a potential motive for Mullins’ murder or not is still under investigation.
This havoc led to the motion for a 60-day extension of the case’s fact discovery deadline, originally set for Sunday, to be granted. The tragic murder and whether it is related to the lawsuit or not were reasons cited in the request, according to court records. The plaintiff also filed a motion to refer the case to mediation on Friday. Mullins was in no way involved in this but the meetings between Adkins and Fields took place in his chambers.
Conclusion
The murder of Judge Kevin Mullins at the hands of Sheriff Shawn Stines led to the mourning of many. The murder is still under investigation and authorities are trying to find answers to the many unanswered questions this murder left in its trail. Judge Mullins was known for helping addicts recover by sending them to treatment facilities instead of doing jail time and was always on the good side of the law. He may be gone but he will never be forgotten.
