(NewsNation) — Sobs could be heard in a Kentucky courtroom Tuesday as prosecutors played a short video that appears to show Letcher County, Kentucky Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines shooting District Judge Kevin Mullins to death.
“It’s a horrific video,” trial attorney and former prosecutor Matt Murphy told NewsNation’s “Banfield.” “This looks very much like a cold-blooded murder, exactly as charged.”
Prosecutors played the short, silent video during a preliminary hearing for Stines. The video captured by a surveillance camera in Mullins’ chambers shows a man identified by the prosecution as Stines pulling out a gun and shooting the judge as he sat in his chair.
The man is seen walking around the desk, pointing the gun at the judge, who had fallen to the floor, and firing again.
“This video is incredibly damning for this man. He’s the elected sheriff, so this isn’t like an aggrieved father or somebody that is totally without power,” Murphy said.
Stines quit after his arrest and has been in jail since.
The only witness called was Kentucky State Police lead investigator Clayton Stamper, who testified that four witnesses heard the shooting in the next room.
If the case goes to trial, a jury will be tasked with trying to “figure out what was going on in his (Stines’) head,” Murphy said.
When Stines was arrested, the former sheriff reportedly said only: “Treat me fair.”
According to Stines’ lawyers, the two met for lunch near the courthouse that day.
In a video not shown in court, Stines allegedly used his cellphone to call his daughter. He then used the judge’s phone to call his daughter again before the shooting.
Investigators are waiting for data from those phones to determine their relevance to the case.
They’re also looking into a sexual harassment lawsuit against the sheriff’s office. Cellphones belonging to the people involved in the case are undergoing forensic testing.
If convicted, Stines could serve 20 years to life in prison. He could also face the death penalty because he’s accused of killing a public official
Police have given no motive for the shooting. At the end of the hearing, Judge Rupert Wilhoit III determined probable cause exists to believe Stines committed the crime, allowing the case to go to a grand jury to decide whether to seek an indictment. The case is being heard in West Liberty, in nearby Morgan County, Kentucky.
Stines’ defense lawyers said they left the hearing with more questions than answers and added they are conducting their own “parallel investigation” of the case.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
