A preliminary hearing in the case against a former sheriff yielded details about his interactions with the slain judge before he was killed.
Video of the fatal shooting of a judge in Kentucky was played in court on Tuesday, as prosecutors presented evidence of their case against the ex-sheriff charged with carrying out the killing on Sept. 19.
In the footage, a man is seen opening fire on the judge, Kevin Mullins, who is pictured in his robes, sitting in his chambers in the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg. When the judge tumbles out of his chair, the gunman walks around the desk and fires additional shots.
“Multiple gunshot wounds,” Detective Clayton Stamper of the Kentucky State Police said in court on Tuesday afternoon.
Prosecutors say that Shawn Stines, who had been the Letcher County sheriff for several years, was the shooter. The hearing on Tuesday was to determine whether there was probable cause for the murder charges filed against Mr. Stines after he was arrested. He pleaded not guilty last week during a virtual arraignment.
As Jackie Steele, the prosecutor handling the case, played the soundless, minute-long clip of footage from a security camera, the judge’s relatives and friends seated in the courtroom sobbed.
After his arrest, Mr. Stines, who is known as Mickey, announced through his lawyers that he was retiring, at age 43, “to allow for a successor to continue to protect his beloved constituents while he addresses the legal process ahead of him.”
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
