The
small
town
of
Letcher
County,
Kentucky
has
been
rocked
by
the
shocking
murder
of
District
Judge
Kevin
D.
Mullins.
No
matter
the
perpetrator,
such
violence
would
capture
attention.
But
the
location
of
the
shooting
—
the
judge’s
office
—
and
the
alleged
shooter
—
Letcher
County
Sheriff
Mickey
Stines
—
has
left
folks
just
gobsmacked.
The
Mountain
Eagle
describes
the
shooting,
and
Stines’
apparent
complete
lack
of
artifice
as
he
committed
the
crime
yesterday
afternoon:
Stines
allegedly
walked
into
the
judge’s
outer
office,
told
court
employees
and
others
gathered
there
that
he
needed
to
speak
with
Mullins
alone.
The
two
then
went
into
the
inner
office,
closed
the
door
and
those
outside
heard
shots.
Stines
walked
out
with
his
hands
up
and
surrendered
to
police.
Stines
was
arrested
and
charged
with
first
degree
murder.
As
reported
by
the
Courier
Journal,
Stines
and
Mullins
were
both
involved
in
a
2022
lawsuit
alleging
misconduct
by
a
deputy
sheriff.
In
a
2022
lawsuit
filed
in
U.S.
District
Court
alleging
a
Letcher
County
deputy
sheriff offered
“favorable
treatment
for
sexual
favors,”
Stines
was
listed
as
a
defendant
for
“for
allegedly
failing
to
properly
train”
the
deputy
sheriff,
the Courier
Journal
previously
reported.The
suit
says
the
abuse
occurred
in
the
chamber
of
Mullins,
but
does
not
say
if
he
was
aware
of
it
or
allege
he
was
involved
in
any
wrongdoing.
The
suit
also
alleged
Stines
did
not
“reasonably
respond”
to
reports
or
suspicions.Stines
went
on
to
fire
the
deputy
sheriff
for
“conduct
unbecoming,”
the Courier
Journal
previously
reported.
Stines
was
expected
to
provide
testimony
in
a
deposition
in
that
case
on
Monday.
Mullins
was
appointed
to
his
judicial
post
in
2009,
and
was
elected
to
the
position
the
following
year.
He
was
a
graduate
of
the
University
of
Kentucky
and
University
of
Louisville
Louis
D.
Brandeis
School
of
Law.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
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so
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Feel
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