Kentucky Courthouse Where Sheriff Allegedly Killed Judge Plagued By Sex Abuse Allegations: Lawsuit

In September 2024, authorities said erstwhile Letcher County, Kentucky Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines unexpectedly changeable District Judge Kevin Mullins, who he had known for decades, successful Mullins' chambers. 

The shooting, which was caught connected surveillance footage, rocked nan mini eastbound Kentucky municipality of Whitesburg and has subsequently captivated nan existent crime world. 

The events that led to nan shooting, according to Stines' attorney, began years earlier pinch a civilian suit against a erstwhile Letcher County Sheriff's lawman for allegedly raping a female defendant who was retired connected bond.

That suit besides named Stines arsenic a defendant. 

District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was killed by Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines, 43, successful his judge's chambers, authorities said. (Kentucky Court of Justice Letcher County Sheriff's Office)

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The pursuing is simply a afloat timeline of events that supply discourse for nan shooting:

Jan. 31, 2022: Woman files civilian intersexual maltreatment suit

A female named Sabrina Adkins filed a civilian lawsuit against erstwhile Letcher County Sheriff's Deputy Ben Fields, claiming that he had exploited her for intersexual favors erstwhile she was connected location incarceration. 

According to nan suit, Adkins was struggling to find lodging and to salary for her GPS ankle show erstwhile Fields told her he was judge they could "work thing out." She alleged that Fields coerced her into intersexual activity six times wrong Mullins' chambers successful return for taking disconnected her ankle show while she was connected location incarceration, and dropped nan interest associated pinch nan ankle monitor. 

When she stopped providing nan intersexual favors, she was arrested, according to nan lawsuit.

Stines, who was Fields' supervisor, was named arsenic a suspect successful that lawsuit, which claimed that he grounded to adequately train and supervise Fields. 

Letcher County Courthouse connected Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 successful Whitesburg, Ky. (Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Her lawyer successful nan civilian suit, which is ongoing, is Ned Pillersdorf. He said that connected 1 occasion, Fields directed Adkins to supply intersexual favors to a 3rd party, and that location were different women who Fields likewise abused. 

"Just my wide interest arsenic a criminal defense lawyer … they were moving a brothel retired of that courthouse," Pillersdorf told Fox News Digital. "I mean, nan pimping – astatine slightest 3 women we cognize of, though I deliberation it's higher."

"[Fields] pimped Adkins retired to this different guy," he said. "He pimped her retired to immoderate relationship Fields had, this guy." 

"If you're a female caught up successful an ankle bracelet aliases a supplier court, you know, a elemental telephone telephone to nan judge, you mightiness beryllium successful jail," he said. "So they're truthful easy to extort, these women deliberation they won't beryllium believed."

After nan allegations were made, a camera was mounted connected nan wall of Mullins' chambers. 

Sept. 29, 2022: Former Letcher County Sheriff's lawman indicted

Months aft nan civilian suit was filed, Fields was indicted connected 2 counts of third-degree rape, 2 counts of third-degree sodomy, 3 counts of tampering pinch a captive monitoring instrumentality and 1 count of second-degree perjury successful narration to nan Adkins case. 

Adkins said successful a deposition pinch Investigator Matthew Easter successful nan criminal lawsuit that activity successful speech for favorable curen successful nan criminal justness strategy successful Letcher County was common, and that galore different women had faced nan aforesaid exploitation. 

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Jan. 4, 2024: Fields is sentenced to situation successful nan rape case

Fields pleaded blameworthy to each charges successful his criminal case, and was sentenced to 7 years successful prison. 

Sept. 16, 2024: Stines is deposed successful Adkins' civilian lawsuit

Months aft Fields had reported to jail, Stines was deposed successful Adkins' civilian suit. 

According to Stines' attorney, Jeremy Bartley, successful nan respective days earlier nan deposition, Stines had go highly paranoid, sleepless, and worried astir nan information of his family. 

"This civilian suit had drawn a batch of attraction to things that were happening successful nan courthouse," Bartley said. "And successful fact, if you look astatine it, it was because of this suit – nan logic that location had been a camera placed successful nan judge's chambers, which is highly unusual, highly different to person specified interest that nan administrative agency of courts puts a information camera successful a judge's chambers." 

Alleged threats against his family drove Stines complete nan edge, Bartley said.

Shawn "Mickey" Stines was charged pinch execution successful Letcher County, Kentucky connected Sept. 19, 2024.   (Letcher County Sheriff’s Office)

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"On nan time that this [shooting] happened, my customer had attempted aggregate times to interaction his woman and daughter, and he firmly believed that they were successful danger," Bartley said.

"He believed that they were successful threat because of what he knew to person happened wrong nan courthouse. And location was pressure, and location were threats made to him to benignant of support him successful line, to support them from saying much than these folks wanted him to say."

Sept. 19, 2024, midday: Stines, Mullins and friends person lunch

In nan mediate of nan day, Stines and Mullins, on pinch coworkers from nan courthouse, ate luncheon together astatine StreetSide Bar & Grill, which was wrong stepping region of nan courthouse. 

According to video obtained by Fox News Digital, group who were successful nan courthouse erstwhile nan shots rang retired were interviewed by nan Kentucky State Police conscionable aft nan shooting, and described Stines arsenic acting oddly earlier and during lunch. 

"This morning, Mickey came complete [to nan courthouse] … he conscionable seemed a small off," said 1 witness. "But he was conscionable like, stepping backmost and forth, each around."

"He was acting unusual astatine lunch," different witnesser said, noting that portion of nan luncheon speech was astir Stines' imaginable reelection arsenic sheriff. 

"I don't cognize if this matters, but I'm going to show you anyways because it's overseas to me," nan witnesser told a detective. "He leaned backmost successful his chair astatine lunch, and they were talking astir reelection. He said, ‘Oh I’ll ne'er make it to nan adjacent election.'" 

Sept. 19, 2024, afternoon: Stines and friend present food

In nan hours conscionable earlier nan shooting, Stines and his friend Michael Clark, who useful for a drug rehabilitation institution that partners pinch nan county, took a thrust to present nutrient to a handicapped personification who could not time off nan house, according to Bartley. 

"In nan play of clip aft my customer near luncheon pinch nan folks from nan courthouse, he and different personification by nan sanction of Michael Clark went to acquisition materials," Bartley said. "They went retired and picked up luncheon and different nutrient worldly for a nutrient container that they were delivering to a personification who was sick aliases had immoderate limitations that they weren't capable to get nan nutrient that they needed. And truthful they left. They went shopping for those items."

He explained that this was regular for Stines, and that normally, nan personification to whom Stines delivered nan nutrient was location erstwhile he arrived. That day, he wasn't, which fueled much paranoia.

"When they went to present these items … nan family of nan man indicated that he was astatine different location," he said. "This caused a batch of interest from my client. So they dropped nan nutrient container pinch nan family, and past they near and went backmost to nan courthouse."

Clark said pinch Fox News Digital earlier this week astir nan transportation incident. 

"He was paranoid each day," Clark said. 

"So we went to a spot to present nan food, and it was astatine a different location aliases a different location than he thought [it] should person been," Clark said. "I didn't moreover really cognize wherever we were going. I conscionable went pinch him because, you know, we participated successful that and helped pinch it. And, you know, conscionable benignant of, I conjecture it mightiness person made it worse. I don't know, immoderate he was struggling pinch that day."

Sept. 19, 2024, later afternoon: Mullins changeable successful chambers

Former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines tin beryllium seen pointing his weapon astatine a District Court Judge Kevin Mullins. (Letcher County Handout)

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In nan surveillance video taken from Mullins' chambers, a group of group could beryllium seen cordially chatting pinch nan judge for much than 12 minutes earlier Stines walked into nan agency and asked everyone to leave. 

In nan adjacent 7 minutes, Stines and Mullins talked privately earlier Stines stood up and seemingly locked nan doorway of nan chambers. 

Mullins past handed his telephone complete to Stines.

After looking done nan judge's phone, Stines placed a telephone to his girl from nan judge's telephone that went unanswered earlier tossing nan telephone backmost onto nan judge's desk. Stines tin beryllium seen successful nan video typing successful his daughter's number while he looks astatine his ain telephone for reference of nan number. Stines' girl did not look to beryllium saved successful Mullins' contacts. 

He past allegedly stood up, unholstered his pistol, and moved menacingly toward Mullins earlier opening occurrence astatine point-blank range, killing nan judge.

Sept. 19, 2024, night: Kentucky State Police clasp news conference

After conducting witnesser interviews astatine nan scene, nan Kentucky State Police held a news convention describing nan events of nan day. 

"Preliminary investigation indicated that Sheriff Mickey Shawn Stines fired astatine District Court Judge Kevin Mullins pursuing an statement wrong nan courthouse," a trooper told reporters.

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He added that Stines was taken into custody without incident, and was cooperative pinch rule enforcement, which is corroborated by video obtained by Fox News Digital. 

Nov. 21, 2024: Grand assemblage indicts Stines

Former Letcher County Ky. Sheriff Shawn "Mickey" Stines wipes his eyes arsenic he listens to grounds during his arraignment astatine nan Morgan County Courthouse successful West Liberty, Ky., Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Stines is accused successful nan shooting decease of Ky. District Judge Kevin Mullins. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

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In November, a expansive assemblage indicted Stines. The one-sentence indictment charges Stines pinch murder. 

"On aliases astir nan 19th of September, 2024, successful Letcher County, Kentucky, nan supra named suspect committed nan discourtesy of execution erstwhile he unlawfully changeable Letcher County District Court Judge Kevin Mullins, thereby causing his death; against nan bid and dignity of nan Commonwealth of Kentucky," according to nan indictment. 

Since nan indictment: 

Since Stines was indicted, Bartley, his defense attorney, has made respective motions connected his behalf. 

Most notably, Bartley revenge a mobility telling nan tribunal he is readying an insanity defense, and that he "intends to coming a defense of insanity, arsenic good arsenic a defense of utmost affectional disturbance."

Defense lawyer Jeremy Bartley asked questions of KSP Detective Clayton Stamper astatine Shawn "Mickey" Stines preliminary proceeding astatine Morgan County District Court. Oct. 1, 2024 (Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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The filing says that he besides "intends to coming master grounds relating to a intelligence illness aliases defect aliases intelligence information base connected nan rumor of guilt and punishment."

Prosecuting lawyer Jackie Steele did not return a remark request.