A lawyer for Shawn "Mickey" Stines, the Kentucky sheriff accused of gunning down a judge in the courthouse chambers, has revealed their defense strategy.
Defense attorney Jeremy Bartley is reportedly planning to introduce an "extreme emotional disturbance" strategy in Stines' trial, as he states the incident took place in the heat of passion and was not a premeditated crime.
"It was not something that was planned and occurred in the heat of passion," Bartley told PEOPLE.
"For us, the highest level of culpability should be manslaughter based on the partial defense of extreme emotional disturbance."
Letcher County Sheriff Stines, 43, is accused of killing 54-year-old District Judge Kevin Mullins in the judge's chambers in Whitesburg, Kentucky on September 19.
During a preliminary hearing on October 1, a short video clip without audio was played for the court and seemingly showed Stines firing at Mullins several times while the judge was at his desk and then again after he fell to the floor.
"We believe there had to be a compelling reason for Sheriff Stines to feel like he had to take action," Bartley added.
"We are looking forward to obtaining additional information and begin to tell his story."
Meanwhile, the case has shaken the small community of Letcher County, where Stines and Mullins were allegedly longtime friends and colleagues.
"We're all in a state of shock over it," Mullins' friend and former mayor of Jenkins, Garnard Kincer Jr., told the media outlet.
Stines, who has pleaded not guilty, resigned last week as sheriff.
