Kentucky sheriff charged with fatally shooting a judge pleads not guilty in first court appearance
The Kentucky sheriff accused of walking into a judge’s chambers and fatally shooting him has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge
GRAYSON, Ky. (AP) — Clad in a drab gray jail uniform, a Kentucky sheriff displayed no emotion at his first court hearing Wednesday since being accused of walking into a judge's chambers and fatally shooting him — a tragedy that shocked and saddened their tight-knit Appalachian county.
Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines, 43, pleaded not guilty to murder and answered questions about his personal finances as a judge pondered whether he needed a public defender to represent him.
Stines, who is being held in another Kentucky county, appeared by video for the hearing before a special judge, who is standing in for the judge who was killed, Letcher County District Judge Kevin Mullins.
The sheriff stood alongside a jailer and a public defender, who entered the not guilty plea on his behalf. Stines' expression didn't seem to change as he answered questions from the judge.
