Local Sheriff Charged With Killing Longtime Kentucky Judge In His Chambers

A Kentucky district court judge was fatally shot in his office Thursday, and the local sheriff has been charged with murder in connection with the killing, authorities said.

Judge Kevin Mullins was found in his chambers with multiple gunshot wounds around 2:55 p.m., Kentucky State Police said in a statement. Life-saving measures were performed, but Mullins was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

“I was sadly informed that a Letcher County District Judge was shot and killed in his office this afternoon,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement. “There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray that there is a path to a better future.”

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines, 43, of McRoberts, Ky., has been charged with murder. State police said he shot and killed Mullins following an argument inside the courthouse.

Stines was taken into custody at the scene without incident, police said. It is unclear whether an attorney has been appointed to represent Stines in the case, NBC News reported.

Stines was named as a defendant in a 2022 lawsuit against one of his deputies, accusing the deputy of offering “favorable treatment” to a female plaintiff if she “provided him with sexual favors,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by NBC News.

The deputy took the woman “to District Judge Mullins’ chambers, telling the plaintiff he wanted to meet her there because there were no cameras,” the complaint states.

Stines was accused of failing to properly train the deputy, who was later fired. Stines was scheduled to testify at a deposition Monday, according to court documents.

Kentucky State Trooper Matt Gayheart said at a news conference that investigators were still determining a motive for the shooting.

“That’s the question we’re trying to answer, what led up to the shooting itself and the moments leading up to it,” Gayheart said.

Other people were in the building at the time of the shooting, but no one else was in Mullins’ office, Gayheart said. He added that he believes there is surveillance footage inside the courthouse.

The Letcher County community, about 215 miles southeast of Louisville, was “rocked” by the shooting, Gayheart said.

“We need everyone’s prayers,” he said. “Pray for the family so they can get through this difficult time.”

The Kentucky attorney general’s office said in a statement that it will “work with Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 27th Judicial Circuit Jackie Steele as special prosecutors in this case.”

“We will investigate thoroughly and seek justice,” the office said.

The Kentucky District Court, the state’s judicial system, said it was working with police and providing assistance in the investigation.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to all those affected by this tragic event, and our thoughts and prayers are with the community during this difficult time,” the court said in a statement.

Mullins was appointed district judge for the 47th Judicial District in 2009 after serving as a prosecutor for nearly a decade, and oversaw matters including supervision of juvenile cases, municipal and county ordinances, misdemeanors, traffic violations, arraignments and more, according to a Letcher County website.