Posted on 12/10/2025 8:13:42 AM PST by V_TWIN
A Kentucky sheriff who was caught on camera shooting a local judge at point-blank range has admitted to the murder but pleaded 'not guilty' in court - and a new filing offers insight into his possible defense.
Lawyers representing ex-Letcher County Sheriff Shawn 'Mickey' Stines argued in court documents that he 'lacked the capacity to intend' to shoot and kill his good friend, District Court Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, in September 2024, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.
Stines lawyers' said the sheriff was 'exhibiting paranoid and psychotic conduct' when he shot the judge inside his chambers.
The legal team also laid out a series of potential defenses they may use in court that hinge on the former lawman's state of mind - including that he 'had no control,' suffered from 'pre-existing conditions' and did not intend any malice.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Oh this guy's crazy alright.......crazy like a fox.
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So the reports of a sex for leniency operation in the court room were not true?
Let’s just get to the details of the corruption and criminal activities that led to this. He wasn’t insane, he killed him for a reason, let’s hear the truth, no matter who it exposes or destroys.
I think we’ll have to wait for the trial for that to be cleared up.
This would have to be raised as an insanity defense. High bar to hurdle.
yeah. no.
The truth? Hah! That's the last thing our rulers want us to hear ...
One thing for sure, there’s a lot to this we don’t know yet......hopefully it WILL come out at trial.
This is the case where the Judge was using his position to take advantage of this guys daughter but that is way down in the article.
“Key to Stines’ insanity claims is a federal investigation that targeted him int he months leading up to Mullins’ shooting, related to a lawsuit claiming the sheriff failed to properly supervise a deputy who forced a women into having sex inside Mullins’ office in exchange for staying out of jail.
In that case, Sabrina Adkins accused Judge Mullins of inappropriate behavior, claiming she had witnessed him engaging in sexual acts with women in exchange for special treatment.
This lawsuit, filed in January 2022, claimed Mullins was involved in a sex-for-favors scheme within his chambers.
Adkins also alleged former deputy Ben Fields was involved, having filmed illicit encounters, some of which reportedly involved Mullins”.
I also remember there was talk of the whole town in on perversions with some sexual nature including this judge.
To this day I still have no idea why he shot that judge. Somebody please tell me.
Depends on the state. There is also a “guilty with mitigating circumstances” plea in some places, which is what this sounds like.
Shot by the sheriff
But he didn’t shoot the deputy
Shades of Dan White and his shooting of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone in a handy-dandy state of “diminished capacity,” now dubbed “the Twinkie defense.”
That the judge was into sexual favors would have made a defense of extreme emotional behavior, would help the sheriff get a manslaughter. The jury will see through the psycho defense. Just an opinion.
But he didn’t shoot the bailiff!
Although it’s over 3 minutes long, this is one of the best “judge shot in the courtroom” scenes on TV, in my opinion. The good, honest judge died after the shooting.
Law and Order SVU.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwrHPiWnJuI
So call Eric Clapton as a character witness.
Well, my state also allows the introduction of mitigating circumstance at sentencing. But mitigating circumstances must outweigh aggravating factors to get any real relief. I don’t see a judge finding that in a case like this. But, if this is a capital case, it possibly could save him from the death penalty.
From what I understood, he picked up the judge’s phone and saw his daughter’s number in it.
OK now I get it.
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