On September 19, 2024, 54-year-old District Judge Kevin Russell Mullins was fatally shot inside his chambers at the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Mickey Stines had been seen eating lunch with others. Security footage reportedly shows Stines entering the judge’s chambers, closing the door after others left, and minutes later the shooting occurred.

Stines surrendered at the scene without incident and was arrested and charged with one count of first-degree murder; he was later indicted on a charge of murder of a public official and has pleaded not guilty. His attorney has described the shooting as not premeditated and occurring in the heat of passion. Days before the killing, Stines had been deposed in a federal lawsuit by a former deputy alleging sexual misconduct that allegedly took place within the judge’s chambers; Judge Mullins was not a party to that suit. Stines resigned as sheriff after the shooting.

What details from that day or anyone who knew either man might help explain how a dispute between two public officials turned deadly?