The ongoing case surrounding former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines has taken a sharp turn, as his attorney now signals an insanity defense for the shocking murder of District Judge Kevin Mullins.
According to a court filing by attorney Jeremy Bartley, Stines intends to bring in expert testimony regarding a “mental disease or defect” in an effort to argue both insanity and extreme emotional disturbance, as Fox News reported.
This is Stines’ latest legal maneuver in a case that’s drawn both statewide and national attention—largely because the killing happened inside a judge’s chambers and was caught on camera.
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The footage reportedly shows Mullins, 54, trying to shield himself behind his desk as Stines, 43, walks in and fires calmly. Stines was indicted on one count of murdering a public official. He entered a plea of not guilty in November.
The two men weren’t strangers. In fact, reports say they were close friends for nearly 20 years before Mullins’ violent death on September 19. But that long-standing relationship didn’t stop Stines from allegedly turning the judge’s own chambers into a crime scene.
As for the motive? Still murky. Though the details are tangled, one thing is clear: this wasn’t just a random act of violence—it’s rooted in a twisted mix of friendship, alleged corruption, and some extremely shady backroom dealings.
At the time of the murder, Stines was involved in civil litigation tied to an ugly chapter in the county’s law enforcement history.
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Former Letcher County deputy Ben Fields had already been convicted in 2021 for sexually assaulting a woman inside the same chambers where Mullins was later killed.
Fields forced her into sexual favors while she was on house arrest—using the threat of jail as leverage. A court found him guilty, but the fallout didn’t end there.
Stines was accused in the civil suit of “deliberate indifference” for allegedly failing to train or supervise Fields properly. That case is still pending, but it certainly adds a dark cloud over this entire saga.
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And if that wasn’t enough, Kentucky State Police confirmed that Stines and Mullins had been looking through each other’s cell phones before the shooting.
Investigators are also digging into a sex scandal connected to local law enforcement. During a hearing last October, it was revealed that Stines made calls from both his and Mullins’ phones after the shooting—dialing his own daughter.
With layers of betrayal, corruption, and now a plea of mental instability, this case isn’t just about one shocking murder—it’s exposing the rot in a justice system that was supposed to protect people, not prey on them.
As of now, both Stines’ attorney and the prosecutor, Jackie Steele, have remained silent on the latest developments. But this trial promises to pull back even more curtains in a courtroom that’s already seen far too much.
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