Former Letcher County, Kentucky, Sheriff Sean “Mickey” Stines on Monday pleaded not guilty to murdering District Court Judge Kevin Mullins in the same courthouse where a court officer fired on a lawman in September.
Attorney Jeremy Bartley said Monday that Stines has prepared a “compelling defense” to justify the shooting of his longtime office colleague. courier journal Reported.
Bartley added that the timing of the sheriff's deposition in a sexual abuse-related case earlier that month “certainly becomes important in this case,” according to the newspaper.
“I believe it is a work of art,” Bartley said after Monday's court proceedings, which lasted about five minutes. “This is a big story, and in some ways a difficult story to tell. We look forward to sharing a more complete story as we move through this judicial process.”
The execution, in which a sheriff fatally shoots a judge in his own courtroom, was allegedly caught on video. the indictment was returned
Sean “Mickey” Stines pending preliminary hearing in Morgan County District Court on October 1, 2024. (Scott Utterback/Courier Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Prosecutor Jackie Steele declined to comment when asked if she thought the deposition implicated the shooting, but said she did not expect Stines to face additional charges beyond murdering a public servant. He said no. He told the news outlet that it was too early to know whether he would pursue the death penalty in the case.
The lawsuit in question was filed by two women, one of whom alleged that Letcher County Deputy Ben Fields was inside the same judge's office where the shooting took place, which also had cameras installed. He claims that he was forced to provide sexual entertainment. A woman on house arrest accused a deputy of repeatedly sexually assaulting her over a six-month period in exchange for staying out of jail.
Stines was charged with “deliberate indifference and failure to provide adequate training and supervision” to Fields, who was convicted on state charges and spent several months in prison. That lawsuit is pending.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the case said Stines' deposition lasted several hours and that they were surprised by the shooting, according to the Courier-Journal.
Ned Pillersdorf, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs, told the show that he has heard different opinions about whether the depositions are related to the Sept. 19 shooting. Stein's co-counsel said he received the deposition and recalled that Stein had a “strange demeanor” throughout.
Kentucky sheriff charged with murdering judge, not planning murder, arrested in 'heat of passion': lawyer
Former Letcher County Sheriff Sean “Mickey” Stines is seen pointing a gun at District Court Judge Kevin Mullins. (Letcher County handout)
Stines was denied bail on Monday. Bartley told the outlet that he plans to file a hostile bond motion, but that it is “unlikely” to be successful.
Retired Judge Julia H. Adams, who was appointed special judge in the Stynes case, did not grant bail to the former sheriff after “significant consideration,” citing the death row indictment as a key factor. He told the media that he had decided to do so. decision.
Defense attorney Jeremy Bartley asked KSP Detective Clayton Stamper during Sean “Mickey” Stein's preliminary hearing in Morgan County District Court. October 1, 2024 (Scott Utterback/Courier Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Stines pleaded not guilty on September 25th. He officially resigned as sheriff in late September after receiving a letter urging him to do so from Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Kentucky General Counsel S. Travis Mayo. He is being held in the Leslie County Jail, two counties away, police said.
It is still unclear why the former sheriff took such action. pull the trigger.
Kentucky sheriff charged with fatally shooting judge in rape-related case days earlier
Officials say District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was killed in the judge's chambers by Letcher County Sheriff Sean M. Stines, 43. (Kentucky State Court, Letcher County Sheriff's Office)
Kentucky State Police Officer Clayton Stamper testified at the preliminary hearing that the two men had eaten lunch with a group several hours before the shooting. courier journal Reported.
Stines called her daughter on her phone and then tried to call her on Mullins' phone, Stamper said.
“Detectives have seized two cell phones and are currently analyzing them,” Kentucky State Police Officer Matt Gayhart previously said. daily mail.
“I heard the judge say to Mickey, 'Do we need to meet privately in a private room?'” Stamper testified. Associated Press reported.
New video shows Kentucky sheriff pointing gun at judge before alleged shooting
Former Sheriff Sean “Mickey” Stines of Letcher County, Kentucky, looks over at prosecutors during his arraignment at the Morgan County Courthouse on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 in West Liberty, Kentucky. Stines is charged with murdering District Judge Kevin Mullins. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Asked if Stines was, Stamper said, “Maybe, but I don't really know.” Motive for shooting Mullins Based on what he saw on the judge's phone.
“I talked to him and he didn't say anything about why this happened,” Stamper said, according to the Associated Press. “But he was calm… basically all he said was, 'Please treat me fairly.'”
When Stines was taken into custody, Stines told another officer, “They're trying to kidnap my wife and child,” Stamper said.
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Bartley used to told the people He said the shooting was “not premeditated and not a fit of passion.”
“For us, the highest level of guilt should be manslaughter based on the partial defense of extreme mental disorder,” Bartley said.
The Whitesburg shooting shook the community of Letcher County, Kentucky, where Stein served as bailiff of the Mullins courthouse before becoming sheriff in 2018.
“We are all shocked by this,” Mullins' friend and former Jenkins mayor, Garnard Kinser Jr., told People magazine. “It effectively left us immobilized. I can't believe that happened.”
