A 77-year-old former Sonoma County man, Michael Eugene Mullen, was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for the 1973 murder of Nina Fischer, a 31-year-old Swedish national who was bound and shot to death in her San Rafael home. The sentencing took place in Marin County Superior Court, where Judge Geoffrey Howard denounced Mullen as a coward who hid his crime behind a facade of decency.
The homicide occurred on November 20, 1973, when Fischer's 2-year-old daughter was present in the home but unharmed. Fischer's husband, Gunnar, discovered the body upon returning home.
The case went cold for decades until DNA evidence from semen at the crime scene was linked to Mullen through a California Department of Justice database. Mullen, who had moved to Idaho, was arrested in 2024.
During the trial, defense attorneys conceded sexual contact but argued insufficient evidence for rape and murder. The jury convicted Mullen on May 1 after about two and a half days of deliberation.
At sentencing, the judge questioned Mullen's motives, and the victim's daughter, who traveled from Sweden, expressed hope that Mullen would spend the rest of his life in prison. Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli praised the investigative team and expressed hope that the verdict brings some consolation to the family.