More Details Emerge In Small Town Murder Of Judge

We're still learning what was behind the crime.

By Kathryn Rubino on October 04, 2024 12:48 pm
stines mugshot

Mickey Stines

Last month, the small town of Letcher County, Kentucky, was rocked by the shocking murder of District Judge Kevin D. Mullins. Immediately it was clear to authorities who was behind the death: Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines was arrested the same day. But without a definitive motive for the crime, intrigue was sparked and the speculation has run rampant.

At a preliminary hearing earlier this week, several details emerged. We know that Mullins and Stines ate lunch together the day of Mullins’s death. According to Kentucky State Police (KSP) Detective Clayton Stamper, several other people were in attendance at the business lunch, and one overheard Mullins ask Stines if they needed to meet privately in his chambers.

The hearing also featured a disturbing video of the shooting. The surveillance video shows Stines, moments before the shooting, using his phone to call someone, then using Mullins’s phone. Stamper testified that both calls were made to Stines’s daughter, and the daughter’s phone number was saved on the judge’s phone.

Stamper also testified that, when arrested, Stines made a comment that, “They’re trying to kidnap my wife and kid.”

After the hearing, Stines’s attorney, Jeremy Bartley, commented, “I left the hearing today with a lot of questions still unanswered myself. We hoped that there may be more light that would be shed on the preceding events.”

Since the shooting, Stines resigned from his position as sheriff.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].