Ex-Ky. sheriff admits to gunning down judge — but claims he ‘had no control’ over actions: report
Former Letcher County sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines has officially admitted that he shot District Judge Kevin Mullins in the judge’s Whitesburg courthouse chambers, according to court documents that recently surfaced.
The admission comes as Stines’ legal team pushes for a broad insanity defense, arguing he suffered from “extreme emotional disturbance” during the incident.
The footage—captured by courthouse security cameras—shows Stines pulling out a handgun, walking around the judge’s desk, pointing the weapon at Mullins and firing several rounds.
Mullins was seated at his desk when the shots rang out. Stines has been charged with first‑degree murder and the murder of a public official.
Following the killing in September 2024, Stines resigned as sheriff and is now being held in eastern Kentucky without bond. Kentucky law says that a conviction might be avoided if the courts accept proof of serious mental incapacitation or extreme emotional distress, a factor his attorneys are betting will spare him the death penalty.
Meanwhile, the former sheriff’s defense has moved to keep certain parts of his psychiatric evaluation sealed, a request that the judge so far has honored. The team is also presenting evidence from a jail social worker who reported that Stines remained in an “active state of psychosis” and did not seem to grasp the nature of the charges he faced. The same worker noted that Stines had already been sprayed with pepper during previous episodes of violent behavior.
Stines previously told investigators that he was experiencing dizziness, headaches, sweating and memory loss linked to California encephalitis—a neurological condition caused by insect bites. He also claimed that these symptoms had been compounded by the mental state he was in at the time.
On November 12, Stines formally acknowledged in a civil lawsuit that he had shot Mullins, adding that he was “exhibiting paranoid and psychotic conduct.” That admission comes amid a wrongful‑death suit filed by Mullins’ widow Kimberly and their two children, who allege that not only Stines physically attacked their father, but that three other sheriff’s deputies failed to warn or protect the judge.
The civil suit claims assault and battery on the family and also alleges that three sheriff’s officers neglected their duty. The defense has filed for dismissal under the sovereign immunity doctrine, arguing that as a county employee Stines was shielded by the same protection granted to the county itself. The defendants argue that without intent to harm, the negligence claims should fall apart.
According to the attorneys, if a judge can be shown that Stines “had no control” over his actions—due to “pre-existing conditions”—the case could be seen as a state‑of‑mind issue rather than deliberate criminal conduct. They also point out that prosecutors allegedly never informed the grand jury of Stines’ mental state at the time of the crime, and that the grand‑jury proceedings were not officially recorded.
The latest filings came just as a judge denied two motions to dismiss the criminal charges. Stines’ team maintains that the lack of a clear record and the omission of his mental health history constitute grounds for revisiting the murder charges. The case is set to proceed to trial, although the outcomes may hinge on the defense’s ability to prove the mental condition claims.
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