Former Kentucky sheriff pleads not guilty in the fatal courthouse shooting of a judge

A former Kentucky sheriff charged in a judge’s shooting death pleaded not guilty Monday as he returned to the same courthouse where the two worked closely for years and where the attack occurred.

A grand jury indicted former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines last week on one count of murder of a public official. Stines, who served as sheriff for several years, resigned after the Sept. 19 attack at the courthouse in Whitesburg, a small town about 100 miles (146 kilometers) southeast of Lexington, near the Virginia border.

No bond was set during the hearing, so Stines will remain jailed in another county. The judge cited “community safety concerns” and the severity of the charge as reasons she declined to set a bond amount for Stines, who wore a gray jail uniform at the hearing.

The former sheriff is accused of gunning down District Judge Kevin Mullins in the judge’s chambers. Mullins, who held the judgeship for 15 years, died at the scene and Stines surrendered without incident. Stines could face the death penalty if he’s convicted of the murder charge.

Police have given no motive for the shooting.

Video of the judge being shot was played at a court hearing last month. The video, which didn’t include audio, showed a man identified by police as Stines pulling out a gun and shooting the judge as he sat at his desk. The man walked around the desk, pointed the gun at the judge — who had fallen to the floor — and fired again, it showed. Some people in the courtroom gallery sobbed as it was played.

Mullins died from multiple gunshot wounds, a Kentucky State Police detective said at the earlier hearing.

The detective also testified that Stines tried calling his daughter on Mullins’ phone and his own phone just before the shooting. Investigators found no weapon on Mullins or in his chambers, the detective said.

On the day of the shooting, Mullins and Stines met for lunch with several other people at a restaurant near the courthouse, the detective said.