A sheriff allegedly gunned down a judge inside his chambers, and now his defense attorney said he was only acting ‘in the heat of passion.’
WHAT HAPPENED?
Sheriff Shawn ‘Mickey‘ Stines, 43, is accused of pumping eight bullets into his friend Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, after entering the judge’s chambers at Lechter County Courthouse on September 19.
He pleaded not guilty to the murder and resigned as sheriff.
Video shows Stines pointing his weapon at Mullins as his hands are raised cowering behind his desk – but the sheriff’s lawyers insist the killing was not planned.
‘It was not something that was planned and occurred in the heat of passion. For us, the highest level of culpability should be manslaughter based on the partial defense of extreme emotional disturbance,’ defense attorney Jeremy Bartley told PEOPLE.
‘We believe there had to be a compelling reason for Sheriff Stines to feel like he had to take action. We are looking forward to obtaining additional information and begin to tell his story.’
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW?
Detectives are probing a potential motive, but the shooting is thought to have unfolded after Stines discovered his daughter’s phone number in Mullins’ phone.
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WHAT INVESTIGATION REVEALS
CCTV footage played in court during a preliminary hearing on October 2 showed Stines checking his phone before making a call from the judge’s.
Kentucky State Police Detective Clayton Stamper testified that he was told the sheriff had tried to contact his daughter from both devices.
Just hours before the shooting, the sheriff and judge, who were longtime friends, shared an outside table at the popular Streetside Grill & Bar on Main Street for lunch, only a few hundred yards from the courthouse.
The pair were lunchtime regulars together at the sports bar and on that fateful Thursday ordered their usual – both having the $13.99 wings with salad.
