Sheriff charged in killing of judge inside Kentucky courthouse

A local sheriff shot and killed a district judge inside a courthouse in Kentucky on Thursday, according to police.

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines allegedly killed Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, in his chambers at the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg following an argument, Kentucky State Police spokesman Matt Gayheart said Thursday night. Mullins was shot multiple times, he said.

"Multiple law enforcement agencies from around the area, along with emergency services responded to the area and located District Judge Kevin Mullins with several gunshot wounds. Lifesaving measures were taken; however, were unsuccessful," Gayheart said.

Stines was arrested at the scene without incident after officers arrived, police said. He has been charged with one count of murder in the first degree.

Police did not reveal a motive or the nature of the argument that led to the shooting.

"We know that it was an argument between the two that led up, but what exactly transpired prior to the shots being fired, that's still things that we're trying to get answers to," Gayheart said.

According to The Associated Press, Stines gave a deposition Monday in a federal lawsuit stemming from allegations that a now-former deputy sheriff forced a woman to have sex with him in Mullins' chambers for six months, in exchange for keeping the woman out of jail. He pleaded guilty to rape and other charges earlier this year, The Mountain Eagle reported .

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear shared news of the judge's death on social media and wrote , "There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow."

Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter said he was "shocked by this act of violence" and that the court system was "shaken by this news," The Associated Press reported.

CBS affiliate WKYT reports Stines was first elected as sheriff of Letcher County in 2018 and reelected in 2022, while Mullins had served as a prosecutor before being appointed to the bench in 2009.

Whitesburg is a small town located about two and a half hours southeast of Lexington, near the Virginia border.

Matt Butler, the lead prosecutor for Letcher County, recused his office from the investigation because he's related to Mullins through marriage.

"We all know each other here," Butler said in a statement Monday. "For example, anyone from Letcher County would tell you that Judge Mullins and I married a pair of sisters and that we have children who are first cousins but act like siblings."

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said in a social media post that his office will collaborate with a regional commonwealth's attorney as special prosecutors in the case. "We will fully investigate and pursue justice," Coleman said.

A school in the area was briefly placed under lockdown after the shooting, Gayheart said.

The shooting came just a day after the apparent end of a manhunt for a suspect in a Kentucky highway shooting that put parts of the state on edge. The suspect was believed to have been found dead , officials said Wednesday.