Kentucky - Judge killed, sheriff arrested in Letcher County courthouse shooting - Sep. 19, 2024 # 2

[Chimera]

So what causes a lawman to kill his friend, a sitting Judge, following a cordial lunch?

• From all signs visible in the released video, Stines was under no threat by Mullins.
• Even if Stines suspected there was phone contact between his teen daughter and Mullins, upon confirmation of this by looking at Mullins phone, he did not allow for any reasonable explanation by his friend before he immediately began firing his weapon at Mullins.
• There was no immediate threat to the daughter for her number to be in Mullins phone!
• There was no immediate threat to his wife.
• After wounding Mullins, as if to ensure he was dead, he stopped, fired additional shots at his fallen body, before exiting the room.
• I believe Stines made up his mind before he entered Mullins Chambers that if Mullins phone showed he had phone contact with his daughter, he was dead.
• Maybe Stines was having some paranoid, delusional thoughts....
• But from the evidence we have today, I think a jury would find him guilty of murder beyond a reasonable doubt, because of those deliberate, additional shots before walking out of Chambers-- Stines intended for Mullins to be dead.
• Stines actions were hardly what's expected from a man under the oath of the elected County Sheriff -- instead he seemed immature, impulsive, irresponsible, and a sense of entitlement. IMO, Stines was like a time bomb, waiting to go off.
• And the arrogance of Stines to request to be treated fair!
• Mullins deserved to be treated fair too. He deserved far better than he received from both the Sheriff, and his friend! MOO

ITA.
Esp. that last sentence.
No excuse for what Stines did.

 

[Kemug]

Maybe Mullins did feel threatened by Stines, and that is why the judge invited the sheriff to his chambers. He thought he would be safe there because of the cameras, and the sheriff knowing about them.

 

[Friday Fan]

Maybe Mullins did feel threatened by Stines, and that is why the judge invited the sheriff to his chambers. He thought he would be safe there because of the cameras, and the sheriff knowing about them.

I thought of that too. Maybe if he met him alone, he feared Stines would slug him or cause a scene. I'm pretty sure he didn't fear he would shoot him.

 

[OldAce]

Maybe Mullins did feel threatened by Stines, and that is why the judge invited the sheriff to his chambers. He thought he would be safe there because of the cameras, and the sheriff knowing about them.

Was a bit mistaken on that. However and what ever was floated at the lunch; germinated in the Sheriffs mind shortly after, and conclusion verified by the phone view/call.

 

[sunspun]

Maybe Mullins did feel threatened by Stines, and that is why the judge invited the sheriff to his chambers. He thought he would be safe there because of the cameras, and the sheriff knowing about them.

I thought it was more that Stines was trying to talk to Mullins about things better left unsaid in front of other people at the lunch, which was why Mullins asked him if they needed to meet privately to talk. Trying to shut him up before he said something Mullins didn't want others to hear.

So... what would that have been? Would it have been something Mullins already knew about, or would this have been the first he was hearing about it at the lunch? But something he immediately knew he didn't want spoken of in public, even though it sounds like he cut him off before he had the chance to say much, to avoid others at the lunch hearing. So maybe something he already knew about, but this would've been the first time Stines had tried to discuss it with him, or question him about it. Hm.

 

[Taffy550]

Very interesting. Hmmmm

 

[Chimera]

To me your screenshot looks like the judge is in fear because he's angling his body away from the sheriff along with the defensive positioning of his hand. JMO.

Bbm.
I agree.
Once the gun was pointed at him, I think Mullins was in mortal fear deep down inside.
My opinion was that he didn't expect this to happen !
Blindsided.
I do wonder about the motive and I guess we'll have to wait ; but I'm surprised they showed the actual shooting video.
I'd have thought only the jury would see that ?
Omo.

 

[Chimera]

Wow! @GoBuckeyes that is terrible about your brother! My ex used to use my baby kitten as his "sight" target. Used to annoy me.

We may never know what happened, and even if we did find out that there was some sort of motive, it still doesn't make it right. We don't excuse vigilante justice. Especially from LEO, who are held to a higher standard. We trust them to uphold the law. Not to go blazing into a judge's office and start shooting an unarmed man.

Bbm.
Yes, agreed.
Esp. the bolded.

With what little we know, especially concerning a possible motive -- there's nothing that can't be dealt with in the court of law.
Self-defense is protecting your household in a break in , or fending off a robber while out shopping, etc.
This was an execution in cold blood.
Omo.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Bbm.
Yes, agreed.
Esp. the bolded.

With what little we know, especially concerning a possible motive -- there's nothing that can't be dealt with in the court of law.
Self-defense is protecting your household in a break in , or fending off a robber while out shopping, etc.
This was an execution in cold blood.
Omo.

And yet Stines, a career law man far more familiar with the system than the average civilian, opted to take justice into his own hands. It (the motive) can only be something truly horrific, either real or imagined, for him to have made that choice in such an (apparent) rational way. In a way, that seems to be the most disturbing part of this. My brain cannot process "calmly" shooting someone 8 times, until they're dead.

jmo

 

[Harriett_Eva]

I thought it was more that Stines was trying to talk to Mullins about things better left unsaid in front of other people at the lunch, which was why Mullins asked him if they needed to meet privately to talk. Trying to shut him up before he said something Mullins didn't want others to hear.

I had similar thoughts- something like let’s talk privately not out in public- and whatever it was that the sheriff brought up, the judge’s reaction might have further influenced the sheriff’s actions later in the day - moo

 

[jlo6161a]

This sounds important:

Testimony about phone number of sheriff’s daughter taken ‘out of context,’ sources say​

By Mountain Eagle Staff
on October 09, 2024
By SAM ADAMS

Two law enforcement sources have confirmed that former Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines did not select his daughter’s number from a pre-saved list on District Judge Kevin Mullins’s phone when he called her just prior to killing the judge. Both say Stines dialed the number before he shot Mullins multiple times in the judge’s chambers behind the Letcher District Courtroom...

The rest of the article is behind a paywall.


This could mean that Stines did not find his daughter's number on the judge's phone pre-saved or otherwise but rather the record of him dialing it right then was what Stamper was referring to. If so his reaction might be more related on what was said if the daughter answered while she was thinking she was speaking to the judge (not to the Sheriff following his missed calls).
Not known if the call was cut-off immediately. Could she have tried to call back (the judge) -as shown in the ringing phone on the desk in the video?

Does anyone have access to the Mountain Eagle article to elaborate on what was written in the article?

 

[Harriett_Eva]

This could mean that Stines did not find his daughter's number on the judge's phone pre-saved or otherwise but rather the record of him dialing it right then was what Stamper was referring to. If so his reaction might be more related on what was said if the daughter answered while she was thinking she was speaking to the judge (not to the Sheriff following his missed calls).

That would definitely add to the questions about what the actual event/circumstances were that provoked the sheriff to act as it did- such a strange and confusing case

 

[PrairieWind]

This sounds important:

Testimony about phone number of sheriff’s daughter taken ‘out of context,’ sources say​

By Mountain Eagle Staff
on October 09, 2024
By SAM ADAMS

Two law enforcement sources have confirmed that former Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines did not select his daughter’s number from a pre-saved list on District Judge Kevin Mullins’s phone when he called her just prior to killing the judge. Both say Stines dialed the number before he shot Mullins multiple times in the judge’s chambers behind the Letcher District Courtroom...

The rest of the article is behind a paywall.


This could mean that Stines did not find his daughter's number on the judge's phone pre-saved or otherwise but rather the record of him dialing it right then was what Stamper was referring to. If so his reaction might be more related on what was said if the daughter answered while she was thinking she was speaking to the judge (not to the Sheriff following his missed calls).
Not known if the call was cut-off immediately. Could she have tried to call back (the judge) -as shown in the ringing phone on the desk in the video?

Does anyone have access to the Mountain Eagle article to elaborate on what was written in the article?

This is what I suspected all along, that the Sheriff manually dialed the daughter's number. Perhaps Judge denied he had her number, so Sheriff manual dials the number and and soon as he hits send, the contact under which it HAD actually been saved would show. Thus, showing the number was in the Judge's contacts, but saved under some other name. I think the Sheriff knew full well the number would show up, he just wanted to Judge to know that he knew and catch him in the lie that the daughter's number wasn't in his contacts. Why he had the number, we don't yet know.

 

[Chimera]

That would definitely add to the questions about what the actual event/circumstances were that provoked the sheriff to act as it did- such a strange and confusing case

This is a fairly rare type of case as well, I'd surmise ?
Omo.

 

[Seattle1]

This sounds important:

Testimony about phone number of sheriff’s daughter taken ‘out of context,’ sources say​

By Mountain Eagle Staff
on October 09, 2024
By SAM ADAMS

Two law enforcement sources have confirmed that former Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines did not select his daughter’s number from a pre-saved list on District Judge Kevin Mullins’s phone when he called her just prior to killing the judge. Both say Stines dialed the number before he shot Mullins multiple times in the judge’s chambers behind the Letcher District Courtroom...

The rest of the article is behind a paywall.


This could mean that Stines did not find his daughter's number on the judge's phone pre-saved or otherwise but rather the record of him dialing it right then was what Stamper was referring to. If so his reaction might be more related on what was said if the daughter answered while she was thinking she was speaking to the judge (not to the Sheriff following his missed calls).
Not known if the call was cut-off immediately. Could she have tried to call back (the judge) -as shown in the ringing phone on the desk in the video?

Does anyone have access to the Mountain Eagle article to elaborate on what was written in the article?

There is also no evidence that the phone call(s) by Stines were answered! The statement released by KST Gayheart following the preliminary hearing clarified Clayton Stamper's testimony that appeared to imply the number existed on Mullins phone when the only thing that could be confirmed was the call by Stines using Mullins phone appeared in the phones call history.

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/01/g-s1-25793/video-shows-the-moment-a-kentucky-judge-was-shot-to-death

 

[tlcya]

This sounds important:

Testimony about phone number of sheriff’s daughter taken ‘out of context,’ sources say​

By Mountain Eagle Staff
on October 09, 2024
By SAM ADAMS

Two law enforcement sources have confirmed that former Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines did not select his daughter’s number from a pre-saved list on District Judge Kevin Mullins’s phone when he called her just prior to killing the judge. Both say Stines dialed the number before he shot Mullins multiple times in the judge’s chambers behind the Letcher District Courtroom...

The rest of the article is behind a paywall.


This could mean that Stines did not find his daughter's number on the judge's phone pre-saved or otherwise but rather the record of him dialing it right then was what Stamper was referring to. If so his reaction might be more related on what was said if the daughter answered while she was thinking she was speaking to the judge (not to the Sheriff following his missed calls).
Not known if the call was cut-off immediately. Could she have tried to call back (the judge) -as shown in the ringing phone on the desk in the video?

Does anyone have access to the Mountain Eagle article to elaborate on what was written in the article?

thank you for this link! I have been waiting for the press to address the misstatements and overstatements some outlets have made regarding the phone calls and Stines' daughter's number being "on" Judge Mullins phone. It may have been "on" the phone because it had been dialed from that phone but that does not mean in any way shape or form it was stored as a contact. Period.

Such gross misstatements have certainly served to muddy the waters, increase the continued slander of the victim in this case and drive traffic to the media stories.

If this is not in the MEDIA thread for this case already it needs to be and in BOLD print IMO.

 

[tlcya]

highlight this portion of an article that is not paywalled on the topic

Kentucky State Police later clarified that they have no evidence the daughter’s phone number was on the judge’s phone before the sheriff dialed it
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/01/g-s1-25793/video-shows-the-moment-a-kentucky-judge-was-shot-to-death

 

[Harriett_Eva]

This is a fairly rare type of case as well, I'd surmise ?
Omo.

I’d have to agree, not the typical- and so many unexpected and unknown factors- omo

 

[Seattle1]

I noticed this from the link i posted above.

So LE doesn't know if Stines daughters phone number was saved in the judges phone contacts at this time. JMO.

https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/former-letcher-county-sheriff-accused-of-killing-judge-to-appear-in-court/?nxsparam=1

Bumping post/MSM link by @RANCH from last Thursday confirming no evidence if Stines number was saved in Mullins phone. This was not clear during testimony by lead investigator Stamper during the prelim hearing.

 

[Harriett_Eva]

It may have been "on" the phone because it had been dialed from that phone but that does not mean in any way shape or form it was stored as a contact. Period

But it doesn’t exclude it from having been stored under a different name— moo