A former Kentucky sheriff charged in a judge’s shooting death pleaded not guilty Monday in the same courthouse where they worked together and where the attack occurred, and one of his attorneys later predicted they will present a compelling case in his defense.

Former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines is accused of gunning down District Judge Kevin Mullins in the judge’s chambers. Mullins, who held the judgeship for 15 years, died at the scene and Stines surrendered without incident.

A grand jury indicted Stines last week on one count of murder of a public official. Stines, who served as sheriff for several years, resigned after the Sept. 19 attack at the courthouse in Whitesburg, a small Appalachian town about 100 miles (146 kilometers) southeast of Lexington, near the Virginia border.

After the arraignment Monday, defense attorney Jeremy Bartley pointed to a deposition that Stines gave in the days before the shooting as an important factor in the case. The deposition came in a federal lawsuit claiming Stines failed to adequately train and supervise a deputy who was accused of forcing a woman to have sex in Mullins’ chambers in exchange for staying out of jail.