Ex-Kentucky sheriff charged in judge’s killing may get evaluated for insanity defense

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Prosecutors have requested a mental evaluation for a former Kentucky sheriff charged with gunning down a judge in a courthouse last year after his attorneys said they will argue he was emotionally disturbed at the time of the shooting.

The killing rocked the small Appalachian community of Whitesburg, where residents knew Shawn “Mickey” Stines to be longtime friends with District Judge Kevin Mullins. Prosecutors have presented a video in court of a man police identified as Stines pulling out a handgun and shooting Mullins at his desk on Sept. 19.

Prosecutors with the state attorney general’s office filed a motion Monday asking the court to allow a state doctor to evaluate Stines’ claim “that he suffers, or has suffered, from a mental disease or defect or any other mental condition that bears on the issues of guilt and punishment.”

Investigators have not announced a motive for the shooting. Earlier that day, the two men had met for lunch with several other people near the courthouse, police said.

Attorneys for Stines wrote in a motion earlier this month that they plan to present evidence that the ex-lawman suffered from insanity and “extreme emotional disturbance” at the time he allegedly shot Mullins. Stines’ attorneys said they would not raise the issue of whether Stines is mentally fit to stand trial.

“While further evaluation is needed to determine the extent of the mental health evidence ultimately presented, it is our strong belief that our client was operating under extreme pressure that significantly impacted his mental state,” Stines’ attorney Kerri Bartley said in an emailed statement.

Stines remains jailed without bond. At a January hearing, special judge Chris Cohron said he would take up the issue of Stines’ bond at a later hearing. He has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder of a public official and resigned days after the shooting.