Last year, Kentucky District Judge Kevin D. Mullins was shot dead in his chambers. Shortly after the shots were fired, then-Sheriff Mickey Stines walked out of chambers, surrendered to the police and explained that “They’re trying to kidnap my wife and kid.” He’s understandably been the top suspect for the murder ever since. The local Kentucky killing made national waves for a few reasons. One, you rarely hear of sheriffs shooting judges. Second, the judge was accused of running a sex ring out of his courthouse where women were coerced in to having sex to get reduced sentences.
Stines pleaded not guilty to the murder of a public official. Before the trial starts, he and his legal team are trying to get the death penalty off the table. WCYB has coverage:
A motion has been filed by the defense for former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines in hopes of avoiding the death penalty…In the court filing, the defense wants a hearing to determine if Stines has a serious intellectual disability or serious mental illness.
You’ve gotta respect due process and there’s no shame in attorneys going for any colorable argument that could help their client, but shouldn’t any serious intellectual disabilities or mental illnesses have been sussed out during his time as a sheriff? Especially if said conditions made him prone to, I don’t know, allegedly shooting people dead in broad daylight? Maybe they just do things differently in Kentucky.
Former Kentucky Sheriff Accused Of Killing Judge Wants Hearing To Avoid Death Penalty [WCYB]
Earlier: Slain Judge Accused Of ‘Running A Brothel Out Of That Courtroom’
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
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