Kentucky sheriff allegedly killed judge in his office

WHITESBURG, Kentucky — The sheriff charged in the shooting death of a rural Kentucky judge in his courthouse office is accused in a federal court lawsuit of failing to investigate allegations that one of his deputies repeatedly sexually assaulted a woman in the same judge’s office.

According to the Kentucky State Police, preliminary investigations indicate that Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines shot District Judge Kevin Mullins multiple times on Thursday after an argument broke out in the courthouse.

Mullins, who served as judge for 15 years, died at the scene, and Stines surrendered without incident.

It was not immediately clear what exactly the two men were arguing about.

Stines was ousted Monday in a lawsuit filed by two women, one of whom claimed a deputy forced her to have sex in Mullins’ apartment for six months so she would not go to jail. The lawsuit accuses the sheriff of “deliberate indifference by failing to adequately train and supervise the deputy.”

Former Deputy Sheriff Ben Fields pleaded guilty to raping the prisoner while she was under house arrest. Fields was sentenced this year to six months in prison and then six and a half years of probation for rape, sodomy, perjury and tampering with a surveillance device, The Mountain Eagle reported. Three charges related to a second woman were dropped because she is now dead.

Stines fired Fields, who succeeded Mullins as bailiff, for “improper conduct” after the lawsuit was filed in 2022, the Courier Journal reported at the time.

The judge’s murder sent shockwaves through the small, densely populated Appalachian town. Whitesburg is the county seat of about 1,700 residents and is located about 146 miles southeast of Lexington. Instead of holding the sheriff in the local jail, authorities took Stines to the Leslie County Detention Center, two counties away, where he remained Friday morning.

Chief District Attorney Matt Butler spoke of an outpouring of sympathy as he and his office withdrew from the investigation, citing social and family ties to Mullins.

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

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office will work with a district attorney in the area as a special prosecutor in the criminal case. Mullins, 54, was hit multiple times in the shooting, state police said. Stines, 43, has been charged with first-degree murder.

“We will conduct a full investigation 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 the court system was “shaken by this news.”

The Letcher County Magistrate Judge closed the district court on Friday.

It was unclear whether Stines had an attorney – state police referred inquiries to a spokesman who did not immediately respond by email.

“There is far too much violence in this world and I pray there is a path to a better future,” Governor Andy Beshear posted in response to the shooting.

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