Surveillance video of Kentucky judge getting fatally shot in his chambers is shown during accused sheriff's hearing



Surveillance video of a Kentucky judge getting fatally shot in his chambers last month was shown during a hearing in the case of the sheriff accused of killing him.

Spectators cried out in the Morgan County courtroom as the video played last week, WDKY-TV reported.

'Everything seemed fine between them. There was no clue that anything was wrong at all.'

You can view the surveillance clip of the shooting here; it omits the actual shots being fired, and it's included in a larger video report about the shooting.

Former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines appeared before a judge last Tuesday afternoon for a probable cause hearing, WDKY said. State police said Stines, 43, fatally shot District Judge Kevin Mullins in his courthouse chambers in Whitesburg on Sept. 19.

Image source: Letcher County Sheriff's Office Facebook page (left); letchercounty.ky.gov (right)

Stines turned himself in after the shooting and was charged with first-degree murder, the New York Times reported, citing police.

Stines — who's accused of shooting Mullins eight times — pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

Kentucky State Police Detective Clayton Stamper testified that the full video of the shooting shows Stines using his own phone to make multiple calls, then using the judge’s phone to make a call, the Louisville Courier Journal reported, adding that the shooting followed.

Stamper testified that the calls were to Stines’ daughter, the Courier Journal said. Stamper added that the phones have been sent to forensic teams for examination, the Courier Journal noted, adding that the daughter’s phone has not been examined. Stamper also said the phone number of Stines' daughter had been saved in the judge's phone and was called before the shooting, the Courier Journal reported.

However, Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart told WDKY in a separate story that contrary to how it was stated in court, investigators won’t know if the number of Stines' daughter was saved in Mullins’ phone until forensic reports come back in a few weeks. But the call log reportedly showed her number had been called prior to the shooting, the station noted.

The shooting is particularly curious since Stines and Mullins reportedly had been decades-long friends. What's more, the pair went to lunch at the Streetside Grill & Bar on Main Street just hours before the shooting, the Daily Mail reported.

A restaurant employee told the outlet that Stines and Mullins ordered their usual lunch — both having chicken wings with salad.

"Everything seemed fine between them. There was no clue that anything was wrong at all," an employee said. "You wouldn't have guessed there was the slightest problem."

A woman who reportedly works for the Letcher County Sheriff’s Office also gave her phone to investigators for examination, WDKY said, adding that Stamper testified that she was one of Stines’ employees and believed she’d received text messages from Stines that noted what occurred at lunch and led to the shooting.

Under cross-examination, Stamper said that when Stines "was taken into custody, I was told by one of the other officers that were there that he made the comment, ‘They’re trying to kidnap my wife and kid,'" WDKY added.

Stines' lawyer also argued that the charges against his client should be lowered to manslaughter given Stamper’s testimony claiming the shooting was the result of “extreme emotional disturbance" and there's no evidence showing the shooting was planned.

Court documents indicated that the defense established probable cause in last Tuesday’s hearing, and the case is set to be heard by a grand jury, WDKY reported.

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Judge: Defendant who went viral over driving with suspended license never had license to begin with. Now he's arrested again.



Corey Harris went viral last week after video came to light showing him driving a car during a May 15 Zoom hearing for his case of driving with a suspended license, which garnered Harris plenty of derision.

During that hearing, Judge Cedric Simpson of Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced that Harris' bond was revoked and ordered him to turn himself in at the Washtenaw County jail by 6 p.m. that same day, or else he'd be held without bond, WJBK-TV reported.

'It should be something of a lesson for all of us. Handle your business. At the end of the day, handle your business.'

Then it was widely reported earlier this week that another judge in 2022 ordered Harris' license suspension rescinded — but information about the rescinded suspension never got to the Michigan secretary of state, so the record was never changed. With that, Harris got plenty of sympathy.

However, when Harris appeared Wednesday in front of Judge Simpson — this time in person — Simpson shared shocking new information.

Speaking to Harris' new attorney, the judge said, "People are saying — and quite frankly your client has made the assertion — that ... this court was acting on some type of defective or faulty information. Which I will tell you, counsel, caused the court — given what the court did — to investigate what my ruling was."

With that, Simpson stated that Harris actually "has never had a Michigan license, ever," nor has he had a valid driver's license in any other state, and by the end of the hearing Simpson had Harris arrested right then and there, WXYZ-TV reported.

It turns out that court officials said information about Harris' rescinded license suspension never got to the Michigan secretary of state because Harris never paid his fees, WXYZ added.

"There was no error by anybody," Simpson said, according to the station. "It was a failure on the part of Mr. Harris to do certain things."

So how could Harris' license be suspended if he didn't have a license to begin with?

WXYZ reported that in Michigan, individuals can have suspensions on their driving records without having valid driver's licenses. The station added that if such individuals are able to obtain driver's licenses, they still wouldn't have driving privileges until they cleared their suspensions.

A spokesperson for the Michigan secretary of state confirmed to WXYZ — now that the judge made the information public — that Harris has never possessed a valid driver's license.

While Harris told WXYZ during a Tuesday interview that he didn't recall if he ever had a valid driver's license, a Pittsfield Township prosecutor at Wednesday's hearing said Harris admitted that he didn't have a license to the officer involved in the October 2022 traffic stop that led to May 15's viral Zoom hearing.

Judge Simpson by the end of Wednesday's court session issued a bench warrant for Harris' arrest — over a 2015 case of driving with a suspended license in Allen Park, WXYZ said.

Harris' new defense attorney, Dionne Webster-Cox, told the station she was shocked: "It should be something of a lesson for all of us. Handle your business. At the end of the day, handle your business."

This story has been updated.

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FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Footage Of A Courtroom Shooting?

The video is from a film

Video: Angry father restrained in court from going after suspects accused of killing his daughter



Video captured the moment an angry father had to be restrained in court when he tried to go after defendants accused of murdering his daughter.

What are the details?

Caitlyn Kaufman, 26, was fatally shot on Interstate 440 on her way to work in Tennessee on Dec. 3, 2020, WSMV-TV reported, adding that she was a nurse at Ascension Saint Thomas hospital in Nashville.

Davaunte Hill and James Cowan are accused of killing Kaufman, the station said, and the pair were in a Davidson County courtroom for a motion hearing Tuesday morning.

Image source: WTVF-TV video screenshot

So was Rick Kaufman, the victim's father.

Video from inside the courtroom caught Rick Kaufman moving through a partition toward the defendants — but he was quickly restrained and then removed from the courtroom, WSMV said, adding that Kaufman sat outside the courtroom for the remainder of the hearing.

Diane Kaufman, the victim’s mother, stayed inside the courtroom and teared up throughout the morning, the station said.

What's the background?

Caitlyn Kaufman was driving in rush-hour traffic when six bullets entered her car, WTVF-TV reported, adding that she was hit once, pulled over to the shoulder, and died before she could call 911.

Image source: WTVF-TV video screenshot

Police believe road rage was a factor in the shooting, WTVF also said, adding that police said both defendants were in another car, and one shot at Kaufman. Hill and Cowan are charged with first-degree murder, WTVF said.

Police said they discovered who killed Kaufman after a man traded guns with Hill, then came forward to police for reward money, WSMV said, adding that the man in question also was a confidential police informant.

The Kaufman family is from Pennsylvania, WSMV said, adding that Caitlyn Kaufman moved to Nashville after becoming a nurse.

Hill and Cowan are facing life in prison, WSMV reported.

'This man right now is having a stare down with me': Judge in Waukesha Christmas parade massacre trial says suspect 'makes me scared,' calls for break



The judge in the Waukesha Christmas parade massacre trial called for a break in Friday's proceedings, saying suspect Darrell Brooks was staring her down, pounding his fist, and making her afraid, WLUK-TV reported.

What are the details?

Brooks — who is representing himself — continually interrupted prosecuting attorneys, and Judge Jennifer Dorow ran out of patience, the station said.

"I need to take a break," Dorow said. "This man right now is having a stare down with me. It's very disrespectful. He pounded his fist. Frankly, it makes me scared. And we're taking a break."

Darrell Brooks trial: He 'makes me scared,' judge says after another outburst, stare down youtu.be

Just prior to Dorow's announcement of the break, a prosecuting attorney was trying to speak and Brooks continually interrupted her.

"One more interruption, and you're gonna be removed to the next courtroom," Dorow told Brooks.

"That's what you wanna do anyway," Brooks replied.

"It's not what I wanna do," the judge replied, again warning Brooks to refrain from interrupting.

When the attorney spoke of Brooks' "seven prior criminal convictions," Brooks apparently pounded his fist on a table. Afterward a camera focused on Brooks, who was staring angrily at the judge.

'This court ain't got no integrity!'

Dorow also said Brooks was purposely disrupting the proceedings to draw out the trial, WLUK reported, and Brooks replied that he felt extremely disrespected by that.

Interestingly when Brooks asked one of his witnesses — a parade attendee — if he saw who was driving the red SUV through the parade, the man replied, "Yeah, you're standing right there," the station said.

When Dorow said Brooks was trying to cast doubt on the integrity of the court, Brooks shouted, "This court ain't got no integrity!" WLUK reported.

Anything else?

The parade massacre took place November 21, 2021, when the driver of a red Ford Escape plowed through the crowd on the parade route, killing six and injuring nearly 50. Among those badly hurt were 18 children. Among those killed was 8-year-old Jackson Sparks, who had been marching in the parade with his baseball team.

If convicted for any of the six murder charges against him, Brooks would get life in prison, WLUK said, adding that he faces 70 other charges as well.

Video: Father attacks his son's killer in courtroom — then handcuffed killer rises from floor, yells at victim's father, 'I'm gonna beat your a**, boy!'



Video caught the moment a father ran up to his son's killer in a South Carolina courtroom earlier this month and and attacked him, swinging at his head and sending him to the floor.

But when the handcuffed killer rose to his feet, he was bodily restrained as he lunged toward his victim's father and hollered, “I’m going to beat your ass, boy! I’m going to beat your ass, boy!” before being dragged away.

What are the details?

Lindy Lamont Jones of Orangeburg pleaded guilty on July 13 to the 2018 murder of Willie Antoine Fields, the Times and Democrat reported.

The father of Fields was caught on video attacking Jones on the morning of July 14 in the Orangeburg County Courthouse, the paper said.

Jones is 22; Fields was 18 at the time of his killing, the Times and Democrat reported.

Fields' father — Willie Clay Fields — now faces one count each of contempt of court and third-degree assault and battery, the paper said.

During Jones' sentencing hearing before Circuit Judge Roger Young, the victim's mother — Angela Fields — described the loss she's felt, the Times and Democrat reported.

The victim's father, Willie Clay Fields, stood next to his wife, several feet behind Jones, who was standing with his head down. The paper said Jones’ wrists were handcuffed in front of him, and metal cuffs on each of his legs were separated with a short chain, all of which allowed limited movement.

Suddenly Fields ran up to Jones and appeared to try to punch him in the head.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Fields' punch seemed to just barely miss its mark, after which Fields tackled Jones to the floor. The Times and Democrat said Fields appeared to punch Jones multiple times.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

After the pair were separated and Jones rose to his feet, he vowed to take revenge against Fields, hollering “I’m going to beat your ass, boy! I’m going to beat your ass, boy!” before being dragged away.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Fields also was restrained and led out of the courtroom.

Here's the video of the incident:

Video Shows Father Punch Son's Killer During Court Hearing youtu.be

What happened next?

The paper said court resumed after several minutes — but it addressed the fight rather than Jones’ sentencing.

After deputies then led a handcuffed Willie Clay Fields back into court, the judge told him he would be held for contempt of court and urged Fields to get a lawyer before his July 25 sentencing, the Times and Democrat said

Later that day attorney Justin Bamberg said he is representing Fields free of charge and said the hearing "became too much emotionally" for his "heartbroken" client, the paper reported.

“No father should have to bury his innocent son," Bamberg added, according to the Times and Democrat. "Mr. Fields is not a criminal. He is a victim of the senseless violence that occurs far too often in our communities. The criminal justice system exists so that justice may be done, and justice in this case demands setting Mr. Fields free from the burdens of these charges so that he may continue mourning in peace with his family. We are asking that the system #FreePops."

Bamberg, who's also a state lawmaker, said Fields and his family are "extremely apologetic to the court for his outburst and the court staff and officers who had to step in. Mr. Fields wishes that his emotions in the moment had not gotten the best of him, and he wants everyone to know that he is not a bad man," the paper said.

Anything else?

Jones was 19 when he killed 18-year-old Willie Antoine Fields, the Times and Democrat reported, adding that Jay’Lyn Devanere Jones, brother of the confessed killer, was 18 at the time and faces one count of accessory after the fact of murder. His charge remains pending.

The paper said warrants accuse Lindy Jones of shooting Willie Antoine Fields in the head and three times in the back, and Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office investigators accused both Jones brothers of disposing of Fields’ body.

Angela Fields soon located her son’s vehicle, the Times and Democrat said, adding that investigators found blood in the vehicle and in the trunk. Investigators found the vicim's body in a wooded area near the vehicle, the paper said.

Jones confessed to the crime when he was arrested, the Times and Democrat said, citing warrants.

A motive for the killing has not been determined, the paper said, adding that the Jones brothers both could face life in prison.

John Durham has issued trial subpoenas to members of the Clinton campaign and DNC



Special counsel John Durham has issued trial subpoenas for members of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee as he continued to push his theory of a “joint venture” in the case he built against Democratic cybersecurity lawyer Michael Sussmann, who represented Clinton’s campaign.

Clinton’s campaign, the DNC, the now infamous opposition research firm Fusion GPS, and the Perkins Coie law firm are working to resist Durham’s efforts to compel the submission of documents that have been withheld up to this point. The Washington Examiner reported that these groups have argued that claims of attorney-client privilege should keep the records that Durham is seeking concealed.

Durham is continuing to build legal pressure on these groups believing that they coordinated in pushing fraudulent claims that former President Donald Trump colluded with Russia.

Earlier this month, Durham said that Fusion GPS “was not primarily providing or supporting expertise relating to legal advice; instead, it appears that the investigative firm’s primary, if not sole, function was to generate opposition research materials that the firm then shared widely.”

Durham believes that these groups worked together on multiple occasions to set the foundation for the Russian collusion narrative that plagued Trump’s time in the White House.

On Saturday, Durham said, “Meeting to agree on the express goal of a joint venture is precisely what happened here on more than one occasion.”

Durham’s work so far identifies “Tech Executive-1” Rodney Joffe, “Originator-1” April Lorenzen of the information services firm Zetalyitcs, and other researchers began to discuss “searching for and collecting derogatory internet data about the online activities of Donald Trump and his associates.”

In June 2016, Durham argued that Lorenzen “assembled and shared initial purported data” with Joffe, “who, in turn, shared the data” with Sussman.

Durham continued, “The joint venture continued and crystalized in August 2016,” when Sussmann, Joffe, and “agents of the Clinton Campaign” met. Durham pointed to a meeting held on August 12, 2016, where Sussmann, Joffe, Elias, and the co-founder of Fusion GPS met to discuss “the same Russian Bank-1 allegations that the defendant would later bring to the FBI.”

Durham said, “The parties agreed to conduct work in the hope that it would benefit the Clinton Campaign, namely gathering and disseminating purportedly derogatory data regarding Trump and his associates’ internet activities,” Durham wrote. “The evidence will show that as a result of these conversations and during this same time period, Tech Executive-1 did exactly that: he tasked employees from multiple Internet companies and a university working under a pending national security contract to mine and gather vast amounts of internet metadata in order to support an ‘inference’ and ‘narrative’ tying the candidate to Russia.”

Lawyers for Sussmann pushed back against Durham’s subpoenas by calling his actions “overreach” and saying that he “seeks to admit evidence that the law squarely forbids.”

'What a marvelous performance!': Observers react to Jussie Smollett's jaw-dropping courtroom outburst after he's sentenced to jail



After Cook County Judge James Linn told Jussie Smollett he'd be starting 150 days in jail right then and there Thursday night for staging a hate crime against himself in 2019 and lying to police about the hoax, Smollett turned more than a few heads with a bizarre soliloquy of sorts.

'I am not suicidal!'

"I am not suicidal," Smollett said quietly to the judge. Then he repeated the phrase in a raised voice. Then Smollett said, "I am not suicidal," once again, even more sharply.

"I am innocent, and I am not suicidal," he continued as he stood up, shaking his finger. "If I did this, then it means that I stuck my fist in the fears of black Americans in this country for over 400 years and the fears of the LGBTQ community!”

Image source: YouTube screenshot, composite

Smollett added, “I did not do this, and I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in [jail], I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that ... I am not suicidal.”

Then the singer and ex-star of "Empire" offered a grand finale, raising his fist as he was led out of the courtroom and flat-out hollering in the process: "I am not suicidal! I am not suicidal! And I am innocent! I could've said I was guilty a long time ago!"

Jussie Smollett has courtroom outburst after judge sentences him to jail | ABC7youtu.be

How did observers react to Smollett's outburst?

As you might imagine, a number of notable individuals reacted strongly to Smollett's behavior after his sentencing.

Actor and comedian Terrance K. Williams posted a video of himself wide-eyed as he took in Smollett's outburst and then cracked up by the end of it.

"Oh Lord! ... What a marvelous performance!" Williams bellowed, trying to catch his breath. "Man! You do some really great acting, Jussie, Jessie, Juicy, whatever your name is. Listen, man. You're going to jail! [laughs more] Oh Lord ... Juicy, Jussie is goin' to jail! He's [gonna] be locked up, they won't let him out, they won't let him out! Listen, that's what you get. You're going to jail — na na na na, hey hey, goodbye!"

After a remark about soap we won't repeat here, Williams added that he was having a mediocre day — until the sentencing: "I feel so much better! I just feel great! ... Now this is what you call justice right here, OK? He shouldn't have been lying. He shouldn't have been making up fake stuff about Trump supporters."

Grab the Popcorn! Jussie Smollett was just sentenced to Jail and threw a Temper Tantrum in courtpic.twitter.com/3VXZHq92Fj
— Terrence K. Williams (@Terrence K. Williams) 1646968870

After Smollett's dramatic outburst, Gregg Jarrett — legal and political analyst for Fox News — tweeted that it demonstrated "his acting skills are no better than his lying skills."

Siraj Hashmi — tongue fully in cheek — noted that Smollett is "misunderstood. He’s not a liar, he’s just an incredibly talented method actor who cannot break character under any circumstances."

Lawyer and YouTuber Viva Frei observed that Smollett "appealed to the Ukraine war, the Holocaust, racism, homophobia… and in so doing, exploited all of those injustices for his own selfish & dishonest aspirations. He then raised his fist in defiance as he left the court room. Shameless narcissism to the bitter end."

Breitbart's Alana Mastrangelo wondered if Smollett was "auditioning for a new role?"

Social media pundit Gad Saad concluded after watching Smollett's outburst that "the level of malignant narcissism that this grotesque cretin exhibited is astounding. He has zero sense of shame. He is a Munchausen psychopath."

Anything else?

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Smollett likely will serve only half the 150-day sentence since his jail term is eligible for “day-for-day” credit for good behavior. In addition to jail time, Smollett also will serve 30 months of probation and pay $120,000 in restitution to the city of Chicago as well as a $25,000 fine.

Smollett, 39 — who is black and gay — made national headlines for claiming a pair of supporters of then-President Donald Trump physically attacked him near his apartment in Chicago in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 2019.

He claimed the two men wearing ski masks confronted him as he was leaving a Subway restaurant around 2 a.m. in below freezing conditions and yelled, "Aren't you that f***ot 'Empire' n*****?" before beating him up, putting a rope around his neck, pouring bleach on him, and hollering, "This is MAGA country!" — a reference to Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.

But once a police investigation began, Smollett's story began to crumble.

Prior to issuing his sentence, Judge Linn eviscerated Smollett, calling him a "charlatan" and telling him "your hypocrisy is astounding" and "you wanted to make yourself more famous" through the elaborate, "premeditated" caper and then "you threw a national pity party for yourself." But the worst part, the judge said, was that Smollett lied to authorities about it all — and then committed perjury on the witness stand.