Sheriff’s defense in judge murder could depend on deposition in separate case: report
Shawn Stines' attorney reportedly said that his clients' deposition in a sex abuse lawsuit just before the shooting could play a "crucial role" in his defense.
Former Letcher County, Kentucky Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines pleaded not guilty on Monday in the murder of District Court Judge Kevin Mullins in the same courthouse where the lawman opened fire upon the jurist in September.
Attorney Jeremy Bartley said Monday that Stines has a "compelling defense" lined up to justify the shooting of his longtime colleague in his office, the Courier-Journal reported.
The timing of the sheriff's deposition in a sex abuse-related lawsuit earlier that month is "certainly something that's going to be crucial in this case," Bartley added, according to the newspaper.
"I do believe that that is a piece," Bartley said after Monday's court proceedings, which lasted about five minutes. "This is a large story. It's a story that, in some ways, is difficult to tell. We look forward to sharing a more complete version of that as we go through this judicial process."
Prosecuting Attorney Jackie Steele declined to comment when asked if he thought the deposition factored into the shooting, but said that he does not expect Stines to face any additional charges beyond murder of a public official. He told the outlet that it is still too early to know whether he plans to pursue the death penalty in the case.
The lawsuit in question was filed by two women, one of whom alleged that Letcher County deputy Ben Fields forced her to perform sexual favors inside the same judge’s chambers where the shooting took place, where there were no cameras. The woman, who was on house arrest, accused the deputy of repeatedly sexually assaulting her for six months in exchange for staying out of jail.
Stines was accused in the suit of "deliberate indifference in failing to adequately train and supervise" Fields, who was convicted on state charges and spent several months in jail. That litigation is pending.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs in that case said Stines' deposition lasted several hours, and that they were surprised by the shooting, according to the Courier-Journal.
Ned Pillersdorf, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiff, told the outlet that he's heard varying opinions on whether the deposition is connected to the Sept. 19 shooting. His co-counsel took the deposition, he said, and recalled that Stines had an "odd demeanor" throughout.
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Stines was denied bond on Monday. Bartley said they planned to file a motion for adversarial bond, but told the outlet that it was "unlikely" to be successful.
Retired Judge Julia H. Adams, who was appointed to serve as special judge in Stines' case, told the outlet that she decided not to grant the former sheriff bond after "significant consideration," citing the capital offense charge as a key factor in her decision.
Stines pleaded not guilty on Sept. 25. He formally resigned as sheriff at the end of September after receiving a letter from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Kentucky General Counsel S. Travis Mayo urging him to do so. He is being held two counties away at Leslie County Jail, police said.
It is still unclear what motivated the former sheriff to pull the trigger.
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Kentucky State Police Det. Clayton Stamper testified at the preliminary hearing that the two men had eaten lunch together with a group in the hours before the shooting, the Courier-Journal reported.
According to Stamper, Stines attempted to call his daughter on his own phone, then on Mullins' phone.
"Our investigators seized the two cellphones, and they’re being analyzed," Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart previously told the Daily Mail.
"I was told that the judge made a statement to Mickey about, ‘Do we need to meet private in my chambers?’" Stamper testified, The Associated Press reported.
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"It could be, but I don’t know that for a fact," Stamper said when asked whether Stines was motivated to shoot Mullins based on what he saw on the judge's phone.
"I talked to him, but he didn’t say nothing about why this had happened," Stamper said, according to the AP. "But he was calm… Basically, all he said was, ‘Treat me fair.’"
When Stines was taken into custody, he allegedly told another officer, "they're trying to kidnap my wife and kid," Stamper said.
Bartley previously told People that the shooting "was not something that was planned and occurred in the heat of passion."
"For us, the highest level of culpability should be manslaughter based on the partial defense of extreme emotional disturbance," Bartley said.
The shooting in the city of Whitesburg has shaken the community of Letcher County, Kentucky, where Stines served as a bailiff in Mullins' court before becoming sheriff in 2018.
"We're all in a state of shock over it," Garnard Kincer Jr., Mullins’ friend and former mayor of Jenkins, told People. "It practically immobilized us. We just can't believe it happened."
