LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It called for a mental assessment of a former Kentucky sheriff charged with firing a judge in court last year after his lawyer said he claimed he was emotionally disturbed during the shooting.
The murder shook the small Appalachian community in Whitesburg, where residents knew that Sean “Mickey” Stins was a longtime friend of District Judge Kevin Mullins. Prosecutors presented the video in the male police courtroom where Stin was identified, pulling out a handgun and shooting Marine at his desk, on September 19.
Prosecutors with the state Attorney General’s Office filed a motion Monday asking the court to evaluate Stin’s claim that state doctors “suffer or suffered from mental illness, defects, or other mental states that burden the issue of guilt and punishment.
Investigators have not announced their motives for the shooting. The two men met up with several other people for lunch that day, police said.
Stins’ lawyers write earlier this month that they will be presenting evidence that the former corporation was suffering from insanity and “extreme emotional interference” when they shot Marin. Stines’ attorneys said they would not raise the question of whether Stines is mentally suited to trial.
“While further evaluation is required to determine the extent of mental health evidence that was ultimately presented, it is a strong belief that the client was operating under extreme pressure that had a major impact on his mental state,” Stins’ attorney Kelly Bartley said in an email.
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Stin remains in jail without being held. At the hearing in January, Special Judge Chris Coron said he would address the issue of Stins’ bonds at a later hearing. He pleaded not guilty to one count of murder of a civil servant and resigned a few days after the shooting.
By Dylan Rovan
