Former Ky. sheriff accused of shooting judge returning to court

LETCHER COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — Shawn “Mickey” Stines, the former Letcher County Sheriff who allegedly shot late District Judge Kevin Mullins to death in his chambers in September 2024, is due back in court Thursday afternoon.

According to Kentucky State Police (KSP), Mullins, 54, died at the scene, and Stines, 43, surrendered without incident on Sept. 19 following a shooting at the Letcher County courthouse.

Stines was deposed on Sept. 16 in a lawsuit filed by two women, one of whom alleged that former Letcher County Deputy Sheriff Ben Fields forced her to have sex inside Mullins’ chambers for six months in exchange for staying out of jail. The lawsuit accuses the sheriff of “deliberate indifference in failing to adequately train and supervise” the deputy.

When investigators arrived in the chambers, the judge’s phone was on the desk and the sheriff had his phone with him, the lead detective in the case reportedly testified.

Stines was set for a psychiatric evaluation in June, the results of which are confidential. He is due in court at 1 p.m. on Thursday for a status hearing.

An investigation into the death of Judge Mullins remains ongoing.