Editor’s note: Details of the story may be disturbing to some readers.
WHITESBURG, Ky. (FOX 56) — Spectators cried out in a Morgan County courtroom as surveillance video played, depicting the shooting death of District Judge Kevin Mullins.
Former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines appeared before a judge on Tuesday afternoon for a probable cause hearing. Stines was arrested without incident on Sept. 19 after he reportedly shot and killed the district judge in his chambers.
Kentucky sheriff reportedly shoots judge: A look at the timeline, investigation
Lead investigator, Kentucky State Police Detective Clayton Stamper, was called to the witness stand. According to Stamper, surveillance video captured the exchange that led to Stines shooting Mullins multiple times.
On Tuesday, the Commonwealth played a roughly 10-second clip from the recording. The Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts subsequently released the clip to FOX 56.
The clip’s start is timestamped for 2:52 p.m. on Sept. 19. According to Stamper, before this, Stines had been seated and is seen standing to the side of Mullins’ desk with his hands in the air.
Stines raised his weapon, pointed it directly at the judge, and fired at least one shot at Mullins before he fell from his chair.
As Stines rounds the corner, Mullins moves underneath the desk with his hands covering his head. It appears that Stines fired another shot, but the desk obscures the view.
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Video shows the desk sliding across the floor as Stines moves toward the door to open it before firing another shot at Mullins.
The entire exchange lasted a matter of seconds.
Stamper testified that it’s standard for judge’s chambers to be equipped with security cameras. However, no sound was captured.
During the exchange, Stamper said that there were people in the next room over. They weren’t able to hear what led to shots being fired, but they could hear gunshots and Mullins pleading for help.
The video released is only a piece of a larger picture, according to testimony on Tuesday.
The entire video reportedly shows Stines making a phone call and then using Mullins’ phone to make a call. Stamper testified that the outgoing calls were made to Stines’ daughter and that shots rang out just moments after the calls were made.
Judge reportedly called Letcher County sheriff’s daughter before deadly courthouse shooting
He said that Stines’ daughter has been interviewed with a parent present, but her phone was not collected as evidence yet.
Both Mullins’ and Stines’ phones were sent for forensic examination, but investigators have yet to receive the results. A woman reportedly employed by the Letcher County Sheriff’s Office also gave her phone to investigators to be examined. Stamper testified that she was one of Stines’ employees and believed she’d received text messages from Stines that detailed what occurred at lunch and ultimately led to the shooting.
According to court documents, the defense established probable cause in Tuesday’s hearing, and the case is set to be heard by a grand jury.
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