Sheriff ate lunch with judge before allegedly shooting him

A local sheriff ate lunch with a prominent district judge hours before allegedly shooting the judge in his chambers, according to a court official, who said the killing last Thursday has stunned the small community of Letcher County, Kentucky.

Circuit Clerk Mike Watt saw District Judge Kevin Mullins and Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines shortly before noon on Thursday, he told CNN affiliate WKYT, describing the kind of encounter that might happen among coworkers in any workplace across the country.

“We were kind of joking around about national politics … And then I talked to the sheriff about attending the sheriff’s association (conference) last week in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and asked him how that went,” Watts said. “And then they went down the street to eat lunch.”

Later that day, Stines, 43 – a man whose role made him responsible for judge’s personal security – fatally shot Mullins, 54, inside the Letcher County courthouse in Whitesburg, according to Kentucky State Police. Stines was arrested at the courthouse and is now facing a first-degree murder charge, authorities said.

What transpired in the judge’s chambers moments before the fatal shooting that afternoon is unclear, though state police said the preliminary investigation indicated an argument took place between the two men inside the judge’s chambers.

After the heated conversation, a 911 call reported shots fired on the second floor of the courthouse just before 3 p.m., then the district judge of 15 years was found with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced dead, Kentucky State Police said.

“The whole county is just devastated by this,” Watts said, nodding to the void left in the local justice system. “We’ve not only lost our sheriff and district judge, but I’ve lost two personal friends that I worked with daily.”

“I don’t know what happened or, or what the reason was,” Watts said. “I know Kentucky State Police are investigating it and I feel confident that they will hopefully provide some answers on, on why and maybe that will be able to help us all heal.

“But the entire county and community is just in shock.”

Letcher County’s sheriff of eight years is being jailed in Leslie County and his first court appearance is scheduled for September 25 before a judge in Carter County, said Jackie Steele, the Commonwealth’s Attorney assigned to the case. CNN is trying to determine whether Stines has an attorney.

In Kentucky, sheriffs are responsible for security at courthouses – including the personal security of judges – according to Jerry Wagner, a retired sheriff who is now the executive director of the Kentucky Sheriff’s Association.

“We have 120 sheriffs that work on a daily basis with our judges. We work more closely with them than any other elected officials,” Wagner told CNN Friday. “No one saw this coming.”

A funeral for Mullins was scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Jenkins, Kentucky, according to Hall and Jones Funeral Home. In remembrance of Mullins, flags at all Kentucky Court of Justice facilities will be lowered to half-staff through Monday.

Speaking outside the funeral on Sunday, the town’s former mayor and friend of Mullins, Garnard Kincer Jr.told CNN affiliate WYMT that the judge had been dedicated to his job and a great person.

“He was kind, he wanted to help people and he spent most of his career doing that,” Kincer said.“He was a wonderful friend and there was no boundaries for what he wouldn’t do for you.”

Kincer told WYMT that he was shocked by Mullins death and puzzled as to what could have led to the tragedy. “I wouldn’t have imagined that he would have ever been in a situation like that,” he said. “But of course, all judges and all people in the in the judicial system face that possibility every day.”

Mullins’ killing had brought a lot of negative attention to the community, despite the limited details available, Kincer said. “It’s been a like a big cloud, dark cloud over us that we, that we don’t deserve.”

The former mayor said he would wait for the case to play out in court. “We’ve got a great governor, we got a great attorney general and we’ve got a great judicial office in Letcher County.”

Matt Butler, commonwealth’s attorney for the county, earlier also expressed confidence in his community: “If you knew Letcher County, you would know that families stay tightly connected at all times and pull even more tightly together during times of unspeakable tragedy like today.”

Mullins is survived by his wife and two daughters, his obituary states. “He died in his chambers of the courthouse where he spent his career working to help people,” the obituary says.

As “a passionate advocate for recovery efforts across Kentucky,” Mullins worked to address the opioid epidemic by providing access to treatment and helped those affected by substance use disorders, mental illness and disabilities, according to his obituary.