Kentucky - Judge killed, sheriff arrested in Letcher County courthouse shooting - Sep. 19, 2024 # 3

[Curiousobserver]

So
1. Stines murders judge
2. Internet rumors start about motives being revenge for something with daughter. Supposedly the whole town knows.
3. Mother and daughter immediately and publicly shoot down any rumor that he was defending or doing anything on behalf of daughter
4. Even though this revenge motive is a poorly kept secret known to all, his defense lawyer and he himself can’t come up with anything better than “he is just crazy”.

I guess I don’t see any reason why everyone would protect the judge by keeping whatever he did a secret.
No one is protecting the daughter since supposedly everyone already “knows” what happened
Meanwhile the thanks that town hero and father of the year Stines gets is to end his life in prison.
Nope not buying it one bit.
It makes much more sense that Stines himself was up to something - either alone or in cahoots with judge, he was about to get caught, and he blamed the judge. Then it makes sense why he can’t put forth a plausible defense - because the real reason is incriminating. He was willing to kill to keep it secret - why spill the beans now. Also it makes sense why the daughter/mom said that it wasn’t related to the daughter - because it wasn’t.
Or - he actually is just crazy.
Jmo

This is where my head is at- I have been wondering if the Sheriff had an option to go to jail for one thing or another thing and he made a pro-active choice.

 

[Kudzuu]

I think the judge liked younger women. His wife was fairly young when they started dating. That might be how the rumor started .

The truth may never come out. Stuff that happens in these small towns can be stranger than fiction.

Moo

 

[tlcya]

In an interview with Ann Mercogliono on CBS’s Inside Edition, defense attorneys for Stines said there is no evidence of anything improper between Mullins and the 17-year-old daughter.

“ There’s a lot of wild speculation at this point,” attorney Kerri Bartley said. “There is nothing we’ve seen that would substantiate that claim.”
Attorneys cannot cite any evidence defining a motive in judge’s murder - The Mountain Eagle

I'm going to believe family members and the attorney for Stines when they say there is nothing to indicate ANY sort of improper relationship between Judge Mullins and Stines' daughter.

ETA it is my understanding the disclaimer was NOT specific to sex but to ANY sort of improper relationship or interaction with the Sheriff's daughter.

 

[Leilei]

In an interview with Ann Mercogliono on CBS’s Inside Edition, defense attorneys for Stines said there is no evidence of anything improper between Mullins and the 17-year-old daughter.

“ There’s a lot of wild speculation at this point,” attorney Kerri Bartley said. “There is nothing we’ve seen that would substantiate that claim.”
Attorneys cannot cite any evidence defining a motive in judge’s murder - The Mountain Eagle

I'm going to believe family members and the attorney for Stines when they say there is nothing to indicate ANY sort of improper relationship between Judge Mullins and Stines' daughter.

ETA it is my understanding the disclaimer was NOT specific to sex but to ANY sort of improper relationship or interaction with the Sheriff's daughter.

Agreed, and it's icky, IMO, to continue to speculate on this. We're talking about a high school girl in a small town, and I'm sure she's gotten plenty of whispers and such about her since this happened. No need to pile on.
IMO.

 

[Ontario Mom]

The rumors being refuted (while reassuring, at least) still doesn't answer the question as to why Stines called her from both his and the judge's phones. It also doesn't answer the question as to why she was in phone contact with the judge at all, previous to that day (that the LE testified to during prelim).

From the outside looking in, it appears at least to Stines, she is connected in some way to whatever his motive was. Maybe, that's where the insanity & emotional distress issues come in? Maybe he somehow thought he was protecting her? Impossible to know at this point.

jmo

 

[Leilei]

The rumors being refuted (while reassuring, at least) still doesn't answer the question as to why Stines called her from both his and the judge's phones. It also doesn't answer the question as to why she was in phone contact with the judge at all, previous to that day (that the LE testified to during prelim).

From the outside looking in, it appears at least to Stines, she is connected in some way to whatever his motive was. Maybe, that's where the insanity & emotional distress issues come in? Maybe he somehow thought he was protecting her? Impossible to know at this point.

jmo

The public may not ever know, unless the case goes to trial.
I'm 50/50 on him getting a plea deal.
IMO.

 

[Seattle1]

It also doesn't answer the question as to why she was in phone contact with the judge at all, previous to that day (that the LE testified to during prelim).

Really? Where exactly in the transcript of the preliminary hearing do you find this testimony by LE confirming that the minor was in prior contact with Judge Mullins-- prior to the date of the shooting?? TIA

 

[Leilei]

Really? Where exactly in the transcript of the preliminary hearing do you find this testimony by LE confirming that the minor was in prior contact with Judge Mullins-- prior to the date of the shooting?? TIA

Good catch - I don't recall that, either.
IMO.

 

[Live_and_Learn]

Good catch - I don't recall that, either.
IMO.

 

[Leilei]

View attachment 575376

Is there a link to the entire transcript? Genuinely interested in reading this part. And thanks!
IMO.

 

[Live_and_Learn]

Is there a link to the entire transcript? Genuinely interested in reading this part. And thanks!
IMO.

Of course. I should have included that. Here you go. In the description, just click Show Transcript.

 

[Leilei]

Of course. I should have included that. Here you go. In the description, just click Show Transcript.

Thank you!

 

[OldAce]

The rumors being refuted (while reassuring, at least) still doesn't answer the question as to why Stines called her from both his and the judge's phones. It also doesn't answer the question as to why she was in phone contact with the judge at all, previous to that day (that the LE testified to during prelim).

From the outside looking in, it appears at least to Stines, she is connected in some way to whatever his motive was. Maybe, that's where the insanity & emotional distress issues come in? Maybe he somehow thought he was protecting her? Impossible to know at this point.

jmo

"doesn't answer the question as to why Stines called her from both his and the judge's phones. It also doesn't answer the question as to why she was in phone contact with the judge at all, previous to that day (that the LE testified to during prelim)."

The heart of the matter. And all sorts of "no evidence" nor any verifiable reason, etc about every other aspect of the case, to now he was just crazy. All the while, these two points are quietly skirted and ignored.

 

[Ontario Mom]

The public may not ever know, unless the case goes to trial.
I'm 50/50 on him getting a plea deal.
IMO.

100% agree. I can only hope justice is truly served.

jmo

 

[Luna20]

"However, we don't have confirmation from any source that Stines actually talked to his daughter from either phone or whether or not her name and number were part of Mullins saved contacts."

As I Questioned.

Has it been confirmed that the daughter answered the call from Mullins phone and not her father’s?

 

[Ontario Mom]

"doesn't answer the question as to why Stines called her from both his and the judge's phones. It also doesn't answer the question as to why she was in phone contact with the judge at all, previous to that day (that the LE testified to during prelim)."

The heart of the matter. And all sorts of "no evidence" nor any verifiable reason, etc about every other aspect of the case, to now he was just crazy. All the while, these two points are quietly skirted and ignored.

Mickey Stines knew judge Mullins. I'm not completely sure they were as close friends as some of the media has implied but they were certainly colleagues for many years.

For some weird reason that doesn't seem to make any sense to the public, Stines implicated his own kid in his last actions before murdering a man in cold blood.

I suspect we'd all like to know why he did that.

jmo

 

[Ontario Mom]

Has it been confirmed that the daughter answered the call from Mullins phone and not her father’s?

No.

In fact some MSM articles have stated she never answered either call.

However, during the prelim, a LE officer was asked if her phone was collected as evidence and he said no, and also stated that any calls between her (the daughter of Stines) phone and his (the judge), would be logged in his (the judge) phone records. That same LE went on to testify, that the daughter was interviewed by 2 people, where she described "what occured" during her phone conversations (plural) with the judge.

Considering Judge Mullins died the day Mickey Stines shot him, the phone conversations (plural) the LE testified to, clearly happened PRIOR to the day her dad shot the judge.

I don't have a transcript but I've posted the direct links to all of this previously.

 

[Seattle1]

Has it been confirmed that the daughter answered the call from Mullins phone and not her father’s?

Nope...

 

[Seattle1]

@Allabouttrial graciously transcribed the entire preliminary hearing for us. It's linked in the MEDIA/MAPS/NO DISCUSSION THREAD:

Post in thread 'KY, Judge Kevin Mullins killed, sheriff arrested, Letcher County courthouse shooting - Sep. 19, 2024 MEDIA, MAPS, & TIMELINE**NO DISCUSSION**'

Oct 3, 2024

• Seattle1

• 

 

[tlcya]

Police say Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines dialed his daughter’s number from District Judge Kevin Mullins’ phone, then pulled his gun and shot Mullins repeatedly inside his own chambers in the city of Whitesburg on Sept. 19.

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, despite court testimony that suggested that. Trooper Matt Gayheart, a state police spokesman, attributed the confusion to what he called a “misleading” exchange during the preliminary hearing.

“It was very confusing,” Gayheart said. “I was even confused watching it.”
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/01/g-s1-25793/video-shows-the-moment-a-kentucky-judge-was-shot-to-death

ETA So I am viewing the testimony about "conversations" as being part of the inaccurate and confusing testimony/exchange between the attorney who showed up unbidden to defend Stines and the LEO who testified at the initial PC hearing.