Ex-Kentucky sheriff admits to shooting judge but claims he 'had no control' over actions: report

A former Kentucky sheriff accused of gunning down a sitting judge inside his courthouse chambers has admitted to pulling the trigger according to newly filed court documents while his defense moves to lean heavily on an insanity argument as the episode heads towards trial Shawn Mickey Stines who resigned as Letcher County sheriff after the September killing admitted in the filing that he shot District Judge Kevin Mullins during a confrontation in the Whitesburg courthouse according to court documents obtained by the Lexington Herald-Leader The video with no audio exhibited a man identified by police as Stines pulling out a gun and shooting at the judge who was seated at his desk The man walked around the desk pointed the gun at the judge and repeatedly shot him Stines has been charged with first-degree murder and murder of a constituents official The admission comes as the former sheriff's attorneys have worked to establish that Stines was suffering from extreme emotional disturbance prior to the shooting suggesting his legal gang is preparing a broad insanity defense the outlet announced KENTUCKY JUDGE KILLED IN CHAMBERS ACCUSED OF TRADING SEXUAL FAVORS FOR INFLUENCE AT WILD PARTIESIn a document written a scarce days after the shooting a social worker who met with Stines in jail noted he had remained in an functioning state of psychosis and didn t appear to understand the criminal charge against him Stines had episodes of combativeness which has required pepper spray the Associated Press released In a deposition Stines gave investigators in the days leading up to the shooting he claimed to have been suffering from dizziness headaches sweating and memory loss brought on by California encephalitis a neurological ailment resulting from bug bites the Herald-Leader published Prosecutors have not commented on the latest filings Stines' legal band has argued that a portion of his mental evaluation should remain sealed a position that the judge in recent months upheld Stines resigned as sheriff days after the shooting and is being held without bond in eastern Kentucky EX-SHERIFF ACCUSED OF SHOOTING JUDGE IN CHAMBERS SAYS STATE SKIRTED LAW SHOULD TOSS MURDER CIRCUMSTANCE REPORTUnder Kentucky law proof of mental incapacitation or extreme emotional distress could take the death penalty off the table in Stines affair the Herald-Leader shared However a defendant s standards of intent reportedly differ in civil cases with Mullins widow filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Stines and three other Letcher County Sheriff s Office employees in September Kimberly Mullins and the couple s two children are reportedly accusing Stines of assault and battery while alleging that three other sheriff s employees did not warn or protect the judge from Stines who was showing signs of being anxious violently paranoid and psychotic On Nov Stines admitted to shooting Mullins in his answer to the civil lawsuit adding that he was exhibiting paranoid and psychotic conduct according to the Herald-Leader CASUALTIES OUTRAGED AFTER OHIO JUDGE RELEASES MAN CHARGED IN MULTIPLE CLEVELAND ASSAULTSStines' attorneys reportedly moved to dismiss the episode under the sovereign immunity doctrine which shields establishment authorities from civil liability alleges while acting in their official limit They also sought a judge to dismiss the negligence suggests against him citing the accusation must show proof of intent As Sheriff he was a county employee and therefore is entitled to the same sovereign immunity granted to the County itself his attorneys wrote according to the Herald-Leader Based on this the official threshold insists against Shawn Stines must be dismissed Additionally Stines attorneys reportedly detailed a manageable defense they could use to portray their client s state of mind during the alleged killing insisting that he had no control and was suffering from pre-existing conditions Stines' attorneys did not this instant respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment Last week a judge reportedly denied two motions to dismiss the criminal charges against Stines with his attorneys saying prosecutors never informed the grand jury of their client s mental state when the crime was committed and that the proceeding was intentionally not recorded