A former Kentucky sheriff accused in the shooting death of a district judge has been indicted.
Shawn “Mickey” Stines was indicted on one count of murder of a public official, according to a news release from Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office.
Stines allegedly gunned down Letcher County District Court Judge Kevin Mullins in his chambers on Sept. 19. The 54-year-old victim was shot multiple times and died at the scene. The shooting was recorded on a surveillance camera and shown in court.
Kentucky State Police alleged Stines shot Mullins following an argument. Prosecutors have not publicly announced a motive for the deadly shooting.
The video, with no audio, showed a man identified by police as Stines pulling out a gun and shooting the judge as he sat at his desk. The man walked around the desk, pointed the gun at the judge — who had fallen to the floor — and fired again, the video showed. Some people in the courtroom gallery sobbed as the video was played.
Mullins died from multiple gunshot wounds, a Kentucky State Police detective testified.
The detective testified that Stines tried calling his daughter on Mullins’ phone and his own phone just before the shooting. Investigators found no weapon on Mullins or in his chambers, the detective said.
On the day of the shooting, Mullins and Stines met for lunch with several other people at a restaurant near the courthouse, the detective testified.
The 43-year-old murder suspect is set to be arraigned Monday at noon local time.
Stines has remained jailed without bond following his first court appearance on Sep. 25, where he pleaded not guilty.
He formally resigned as Letcher County sheriff in September after Governor Andy Beshear and Kentucky General Counsel S. Travis Mayo urged him to step down.
If convicted, Stines faces the death penalty.
Associated Press contributed to this report.