County sheriff in rural Kentucky charged with murder of judge in courtroom

A rural Kentucky county judge was shot dead in his courtroom Thursday, and the local police chief has been charged with murder, police said.

A preliminary investigation indicates that Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines shot District Judge Kevin Mullins multiple times after an argument inside the courthouse, according to Kentucky State Police. Mullins, who served as a judge for 15 years, died at the scene, and Stines surrendered without incident.

Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter said he was “shocked by this act of violence” and that the judicial system was “shaken by this news.”

County Judge-Executive Letcher signed an order closing the county courthouse on Friday. The courthouse is located in the town of Whitesburg, 146 miles (235 kilometers) southeast of Lexington.

Mullins, 54, was shot multiple times, Kentucky police said, noting that the investigation is ongoing. Stines, 43, has been charged with first-degree murder.

Responding to the attack, Gov. Andy Beshear wrote on social media: “There is too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow.”

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office will work with the state attorney general for the region and serve as special prosecutors in the criminal case.

“We will investigate thoroughly and seek justice,” Coleman wrote on social media.

Mullins had been a district judge in Letcher County since former Gov. Steve Beshear appointed him in 2009 and was elected the following year.

The judge was known for promoting substance abuse treatment for people involved in the court system, and helped hundreds of residents access treatment with monitoring, according to a program for a drug meeting he spoke at in 2022. He also helped develop a program called Addiction Recovery Care, which provided courtroom support services to people with addictions. The program was implemented in at least 50 Kentucky counties.

Mullins was also a founding member of an organization to support the treatment of people with opioid addiction problems.

Several schools in the area were briefly closed following the shooting, media reported.

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