(NewsNation) — The defense team for a former Kentucky sheriff who allegedly killed his county’s judge says the suspect was, and is, mentally ill.
Then-Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines allegedly left Judge Kevin Mullins dead on the floor of his own chambers in 2024.
Despite footage of the alleged killing, the defense wants the murder charge thrown out. They say the grand jury never saw Stines’ mental health records and weren’t allowed to do so.
NewsNation senior producer Allison Weiner told “Banfield” that, “It wasn’t that they were denied, it was that only a small amount of information was given to them as they were asking these questions.
“It lets you see that the grand jurors had probably been hearing reports about this case, and that they had some understanding that there were issues here, ‘was the sheriff OK?'”
Weiner added that information was withheld by the prosecutor and the “key detective,” likely at the behest of the prosecutor.
“There was information that was withheld,” she said. “What the detective ended up saying was not exactly the whole story.”
NewsNation affiliate WDKY reported that Stines’ attorney, Jeremy Bartley, noted medical records show evaluations observing Stines had signs of “active psychosis.”
Bodycam footage shown last month by NewsNation showed Stines in a state of fear, for himself and his family, after being arrested by his deputies.
Bartley also reiterated that Stines was in fear for his wife and daughter’s lives, thus his attempts to call his daughter. After not answering, Stines took the judge’s phone and dialed her number from it.
“There is no evidence to show that there was any communication between the judge and the sheriff’s daughter or the sheriff’s wife,” Weiner added.
Last month, NewsNation spoke to a woman who alleged Judge Mullins would demand sex to get offenders out of trouble.
Audio recordings were later found that could indicate a possible sex-for-favors scheme, not just in the courthouse but also among many people in the small town of Whitesburg, Kentucky.
Bartley is hoping the indictment against Stines will be dismissed due to the withheld information from the grand jurors. Per WDKY, the motion, along with others, was filed Sept. 2. The judge has yet to issue an order on the motions.