28-09-24, 08:35
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Kentucky Sheriff Pleads Not Guilty to Killing A JUDGE
Kentucky Sheriff Pleads Not Guilty to Killing JUDGE Mullins Following an Argument
The Kentucky sheriff accused of first-degree murder in the death of a district court judge entered a not guilty plea during his first court appearance since the killing that shocked the small community of Letcher County.
CNN 28 SEP 2024
Sheriff Shawn ?Mickey? Stines, 43, remains jailed without bond after the arraignment, which was held remotely in a courtroom in Carter County, 100 miles away from the courthouse where Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was shot to death six days earlier.
Prosecutors did not present evidence during the arraignment, leaving a possible motive for the killing a mystery. Stines appeared remotely from the Leslie County Detention Center.
Letcher County, Kentucky District Judge Kevin R. Mullins
Stines also did not comment on the charges during the hearing, but Judge Rupert Wilhoit asked him about his finances after Stines confirmed he wanted a court-appointed attorney.
The judge expressed skepticism about whether Stines, who said he owns two homes and earns $115,000 as sheriff, was truly indigent.
?Sir, it?s my understanding that he is in the process of losing his job as sheriff of Letcher County, obviously, and will not have income going forward,? public defender Josh Miller told the judge.
A preliminary hearing to present evidence in the case was scheduled for October 1 in Morgan County, another courtroom far from the crime scene.
What transpired in the judge?s chambers moments before the fatal shooting that afternoon is still being investigated, authorities said.
Other people were in the building when the judge was shot but no one else was inside his chambers, Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart has said.
Stines? job made him responsible for security at county courthouses, including the personal security of judges, according to the Kentucky Sheriff?s Association.
He?s now facing a first-degree murder charge, and it?s unclear who will take his place as sheriff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXprrWxWkeI
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