The rural Kentucky sheriff charged with gunning down his longtime judge pal in his chambers is planning to offer an insanity defense at his trial, according to legal papers.
Now-former Lester County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines’ legal team filed a notification last week that they’re gearing up to present evidence of insanity and extreme emotional disturbance in the death of District Judge Kevin Mullins, according to documents obtained by WCYB.
The legal maneuver comes after defense lawyer Jeremy Bartley previously claimed Stines was dealing with an “extreme emotional disturbance” when he pumped multiple gunshots into Mullins, 54, on Sept. 19 inside the Letcher County Courthouse.
“It was not something that was planned and occurred in the heat of passion,” Bartley told People in October.
“For us, the highest level of culpability should be manslaughter based on the partial defense of extreme emotional disturbance.”
The attorney said this week there might be “more evidence that would support a finding that he wasn’t criminally responsible,” according to the Louisville Courier Journal.
Footage of the fatal shooting shows the top cop pulling out his gun and pointing it at the judge’s head as Mullins tries to turn away and hide behind his desk.
Stines is then seen firing off multiple rounds, including two at close range, before leaving the chambers, according to the video. He was taken into custody without incident and has remained behind bars since.
Bartley previously said a deposition in a federal lawsuit Stines gave days before the shooting is part of his defense, the Courier Journal reported in December.
The sheriff was one of several parties facing legal action in 2022 after a Letcher County deputy was accused of giving favorable treatment to a woman on home arrest in return for sexual favors inside Mullins’ private office where there are no cameras, the newspaper reported.
Stine was accused only of not properly training the deputy who was fired and later convicted on state charges.
Meanwhile, Mullins was allegedly linked to the sextortion scandal, according to audio recordings obtained by NewsNation in December.
