A small town in Kentucky is reeling after the county sheriff shot a local judge dead in his chambers. Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines, 44, then turned himself in without incident. The sheriff is a beloved father of two children who had planned to retire from his position in law enforcement at the end of his term. The media and state troopers say they are still trying to find a motive behind the shooting death of 54-year-old Judge Kevin Mullins. Perhaps they should talk to some of the members of the community, who already say they know what inspired the shooting.
Sheriff Stines and Judge Mullins had lunch together last Thursday in the small town, and people who were there say the two men started arguing. A few hours later, the sheriff showed up at court and told staffers that he needed to speak privately with the judge. Stine’s went into the judge’s chambers.
Surveillance video shows the sheriff locking the door. The two men then exchanged cell phones for some reason. After looking at Judge Mullins’s phone for a few minutes, Sheriff Stines drew his gun and opened fire. He shot the judge dead.
Stines then put down the gun and walked out of the chambers with his hands raised. He surrendered to deputies at the courthouse. Stines has been charged with one count of first-degree murder. Letcher County Central High School was briefly put on lockdown until the police knew for certain that the “active shooter” situation was under control.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced on X.com that he’d been informed a district judge had been shot dead in his chambers.
“There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow,” wrote Beshear – a Kamala Harris supporter who wants to take away everyone’s guns in Kentucky. Beshear also made headlines in September when he announced that he wished someone would get a member of vice-presidential candidate JD Vance’s family pregnant by raping them.
Judge Mullins was an assistant commonwealth attorney prior to former Gov. Steve Beshear (D) appointing him as a district judge in 2009. Letcher County is a rural county next to the border with West Virginia. Mullins primarily oversaw misdemeanor cases and juvenile cases.
Stines served as Judge Mullins’s bailiff before being elected sheriff in 2018. By all accounts, Stines is a loving family man and father and was well-liked by everyone in the community. State troopers say they’re still trying to unravel a motive behind the shooting. Media reports about the case are also extremely light in detail.
While the state troopers and the press appear to be baffled by the case, and Democrats are predictably calling for gun control (take the guns away from sheriffs!), people in the community say it’s no mystery at all. X.com is flooded with allegations that Judge Mullins had a history of giving light sentences to underage girls in the community in exchange for sexual favors. One underage girl who allegedly ended up in Judge Mullins’s courtroom was the daughter of Sheriff Stines.
Independent journalists have spoken with employees in the county government who have backed up those allegations. Social media channels are flooded with people offering support to the sheriff for having killed the judge. Many are calling on the grand jury to refuse to indict the sheriff, who did what many fathers would have done in that situation.
What do you think? Did Sheriff Stines do the right thing?
