Former Kentucky sheriff accused of killing a judge appears remotely from jail during court hearing

[ad_1] A former Kentucky sheriff accused of gunning down a choose final yr, gorgeous their tight-knit Appalachian group, appeared remotely from a jail Friday for a courtroom listening to as protection attorneys and prosecutors mentioned preliminary issues that may lead as much as his homicide trial.

Former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines has been jailed because the slaying final September, however his attorneys indicated they may ask that bond be set at one other listening to not but scheduled.

Circuit Courtroom Decide Christopher Cohron stated he can be “glad to deal with bond" then. It was the primary listening to earlier than Cohron since his appointment final month as particular choose within the case. Protection lawyer Jeremy Bartley stated the matter of whether or not Stines needs to be launched on bond had been in limbo till Cohron's appointment.

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Stines is accused of fatally capturing Letcher County District Decide Kevin Mullins within the choose’s chambers. Mullins died on the scene and Stines, who was sheriff on the time, surrendered with out incident.

Stines was indicted by a grand jury on one rely of homicide of a public official. The ex-lawman pleaded not responsible. He resigned days after the Sept. 19 capturing on the courthouse in Whitesburg, an Appalachian city about 100 miles (146 kilometers) southeast of Lexington, Kentucky, close to the Virginia border.

Video of the choose being shot was performed at a dramatic courtroom listening to final yr. The video, with out audio, confirmed a person recognized by police as Stines pulling out a gun and capturing Mullins as he sat at his desk. The person walked across the desk, pointed the gun on the choose — who had fallen to the ground — and fired once more, it confirmed. Stines may face the loss of life penalty if he’s convicted of the homicide cost.

Individuals within the courtroom listening to Friday appeared by way of a video convention. Stines confirmed no emotion as he sat quietly behind his legal professionals on the jap Kentucky jail the place he is being held.

Bartley instructed the choose that protection legal professionals are reviewing “voluminous” quantities of potential proof supplied by prosecutors. It may take prosecutors one other 4 to 6 months to amass all of the potential proof and full any testing of it, prosecutor Jackie Steele stated.

“We nonetheless have some issues coming in and issues being examined,” Steele stated.

There was no point out of any particular proof Friday, and police have given no motive for the capturing. Stines and Mullins had recognized one another for years. On the day of the capturing, they met for lunch with a number of different individuals close to the courthouse, a Kentucky State Police detective stated at a previous listening to.