Watch: New footage shows moments before former KY sheriff shoots judge
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- New footage shows former KY sheriff Stines and Judge Mullins in tense exchange.
- Stines draws gun and fatally shoots Mullins after 10-minute private discussion.
- Defense challenges indictment; no ruling yet on misconduct claim by prosecutors.
New video footage showing the tense moments between former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines and District Judge Kevin Mullins before a fatal shooting has been released.
Stines, 44, was charged with murder last fall in the Sept. 19, 2024, fatal shooting of Mullins. The video, shared by the Kentucky State Police through an open records request, shows Stines and Mullins having a private conversation for more than 10 minutes before the conversation escalates and ends with the shooting.
Stines’ lawyer, Jeremy Bartley, previously planned to mount a defense of insanity or extreme emotional disturbance, but early last month, Bartley filed to dismiss Stines’ indictment altogether. Bartley accused prosecutors of intentionally failing to record a proceeding in front of the Letcher County grand jury and depriving the grand jury of information.
In a response, prosecutors argued there is no evidence they participated in misconduct or acted in a way that would deprive Stines of a fair trial.
A judge has not ruled on the motion, and a hearing has not been set. Stines is being held in the Leslie County jail without bond.
Timeline of the footage from Mullins’ chambers
The video, which starts at 2:26 p.m., shows two unidentified people sitting in Mullins’ chambers with the door open. The judge enters the his chambers about eight minutes later and proceeds to have a conversation with them and one other person.
Here is what happened next:
2:39 p.m. — Stines enters Mullins’ chambers with one other person. Shortly afterward, the four others walk out of the room and close the door behind them, leaving Stines and Mullins alone. The conversation between them lasts more than 10 minutes, most of which appears civil.
2:42 p.m. — Stines gets up from his chair and checks the door, something he does two other times leading up to the shooting.
2:48 p.m. — Stines makes a FaceTime call on his phone. The person Stines called picks up and the two talk for about 20 seconds. Stines makes another FaceTime call at 2:49 p.m. but the call goes unanswered.
2:50 p.m. — Stines appears to ask for Mullins’ phone and the judge passes his phone to the sheriff. He makes a call on Mullins’ phone, but it’s unknown if anyone answered.
2:51 p.m. — The conversation appears to escalate. Stines stands up and exposes the gun tucked under his shirt and holstered on his belt. He draws his gun and walks over to the side of Mullins’ desk. Mullins begins to stand up but appears to be instructed to sit down by Stines.
2:52: p.m. — Stines takes a few steps back from Mullins and aims his gun at him. A large part of the frame is blurred out to cover up the shooting that killed Mullins. After the shooting, Stines leaves the room but comes back in twice for unknown reasons, before leaving for good at 2:53 p.m.
2:53 p.m. — An official passes through Mullins’ chambers but quickly exits. He returns about 40 seconds later on the phone while more officials and investigators visit the room to process the scene.
This story was originally published July 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
