Disturbing footage has captured the moment a Kentucky sheriff pointed his gun at a judge’s head before allegedly shooting him.
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn 'Mickey' Stines, 43, is accused of fatally shooting District Court Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, last month.
Prosecutors played newly released surveillance footage of the brutal murder during a preliminary hearing on Tuesday (October 1).
The chilling clip – which has no audio – shows Stines with Mullins in his chambers. The pair appeared to have a heated exchange before the sheriff pulled out his firearm and pointed it at the judge's head.
Mullins, who was sitting behind his desk, raised his hands in fear and attempted to crouch down under his desk before Stines fired eight rounds at him. As the sheriff prepares to walk out of the room, he seemingly sees Mullins moving again so he fires several more shots.
Warning: Video contains distressing footageAccording to CNN, Stines turned away from the screen when the haunting video - which was only 20 seconds - was playing in court. Several attendees in the gallery could be heard sobbing and moaning.
Kentucky State Police have revealed that the full recording of their interaction, which wasn’t shown, was much longer.
Kentucky Detective Clayton Stamper said that the suspect surrendered immediately after the alleged brutal murder, asking cops to “treat me fair” upon being taken into custody, per the outlet.
He also reportedly made a confusing statement, telling authorities: “They’re trying to kidnap my wife and kid,” Stamper said.
A possible motive for the murder has not been disclosed but the court heard Stines had allegedly found his daughter's number in Mullins' phone just before the cold-blooded killing. "I was told that Sheriff Stines had tried to call his daughter, and he had tried to call his daughter from the judge’s phone also,” Stamper shared, per reports.
The preliminary hearing, which took place in West Liberty, Kentucky, came one day after Stines formally resigned his position as sheriff, per a letter from his attorneys.
“Sheriff Stines has made this decision to allow for a successor to continue to protect his beloved constituents while he addresses the legal process ahead of him,” Bartley, the defense attorney, penned.
Stines has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and is being held at the Leslie County Jail.
The case was sent to the grand jury for indictment.
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