A judge who was gunned down in his courthouse chambers was remembered for his public service as mourners looked for answers to unravel a mystery still shaking their tiny Appalachian town — why their popular sheriff is behind bars and charged with murder.

Later that day, Stines, 43 – a man whose role made him responsible for judge’s personal security – fatally shot Mullins, 54, inside the Letcher County courthouse in Whitesburg, according to Kentucky State Police. Stines was arrested at the courthouse and is now facing a first-degree murder charge, authorities said.

A Kentucky judge whom authorities said was fatally shot by a sheriff last week was remembered Sunday as a pioneer who fought against opioid addiction and favored treatment over jail for low-level drug offenders.