Kentucky Sheriff Charged With Murder of Courthouse Judge

Authorities say a judge in a rural Kentucky county was fatally shot in a local courthouse. The local sheriff has been charged with murder.

A preliminary investigation indicates that Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines shot District Judge Kevin Mullins multiple times following an argument inside the courthouse, according to Kentucky State Police. Mullins, who served as judge for 15 years, died at the scene and Stines surrendered without incident.

The deadly shooting in Whitesburg sent shockwaves through the tight-knit Appalachian town and seat of county government, about 146 miles (235 kilometers) southeast of Lexington, with a population of about 1,700.

The county’s top prosecutor, Matt Butler, described an outpouring of sympathy as he recused himself and his office from investigations into the shooting, citing social and family ties to Mullins.

“We all know each other here. … Anybody in Letcher County would tell you that Judge Mullins and I married sisters and have children who are first cousins ​​but act like siblings,” Butler said in a statement from his office. “For that reason, among others, I have already taken steps to recuse myself and my entire office.”

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office will work with an area commonwealth’s attorney as special prosecutors in the criminal case.

“We will fully investigate and seek justice,” Coleman said on social media.

Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter said he was “shocked by this act of violence” and that the justice system was “shaken by this news.”

Letcher County Judge-Executive signed an order Friday closing the county courthouse where the shooting occurred.

Mullins, 54, was shot multiple times in the shooting, Kentucky State Police said. Stines, 43, has been charged with one count of first-degree murder. The investigation is ongoing, police said.

It is unclear whether Stines had an attorney. Kentucky State Police on Thursday referred inquiries about Stines’ legal representation to a spokesperson who did not immediately respond by email.

In response to the shooting, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a social media post: “There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray that there is a path to a better future.”

Mullins has served as a district judge in Letcher County since he was appointed by former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009 and elected the following year.

Mullins was known for promoting drug treatment for those involved in the justice system and helped hundreds of residents enter inpatient residential treatment, according to a program for a drug summit he attended in 2022. He also helped develop a program called Addiction Recovery Care to provide peer support services in the courthouse. The program has been adopted in at least 50 Kentucky counties.

Mullins was also a founding member of the leadership team of Responsive Effort to Support Treatment in Opioid Recovery Efforts.

After the shooting, several schools in the area were briefly closed.