A Marin County Superior Court judge has set a trial date of April 20 for Michael Eugene Mullen, who is accused of murdering Nina Fischer in 1973. Mullen, now 77 years old, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and will face trial proceedings without bail.
In a surprising turn of events, a jury last month concluded that Mullen is mentally competent to stand trial. However, during a two-day trial, investigators revealed that they had linked Mullen to DNA evidence from the crime scene in 2021, marking a significant breakthrough in the case.
Fischer, a 31-year-old Swedish national, was found dead with gunshot wounds at her home on Point San Pedro Road in San Rafael. Her husband returned home from work and discovered her lifeless body, while their two-year-old child was left unharmed at the house.
Mullen, a former resident of Sonoma County who moved to Idaho, is expected to face trial proceedings that will examine his mental state during the time of the crime. His defense attorney, Peter Kuykendall, argued that memory can become inconsistent with age and that there was no evidence linking Mullen to the gun used in the homicide.
However, the prosecution presented a different view, with psychiatrist Dr. Salman Khan testifying that Mullen is competent to stand trial. She stated that Mullen addressed the DNA evidence found during the investigation and could potentially take breaks during the trial.
Mullen will begin his trial on April 20 at the Marin County Superior Court, where he will face charges for Fischer's murder. The case has been decades in the making, with investigators working tirelessly to link Mullen to the crime scene through DNA evidence.
In a surprising turn of events, a jury last month concluded that Mullen is mentally competent to stand trial. However, during a two-day trial, investigators revealed that they had linked Mullen to DNA evidence from the crime scene in 2021, marking a significant breakthrough in the case.
Fischer, a 31-year-old Swedish national, was found dead with gunshot wounds at her home on Point San Pedro Road in San Rafael. Her husband returned home from work and discovered her lifeless body, while their two-year-old child was left unharmed at the house.
Mullen, a former resident of Sonoma County who moved to Idaho, is expected to face trial proceedings that will examine his mental state during the time of the crime. His defense attorney, Peter Kuykendall, argued that memory can become inconsistent with age and that there was no evidence linking Mullen to the gun used in the homicide.
However, the prosecution presented a different view, with psychiatrist Dr. Salman Khan testifying that Mullen is competent to stand trial. She stated that Mullen addressed the DNA evidence found during the investigation and could potentially take breaks during the trial.
Mullen will begin his trial on April 20 at the Marin County Superior Court, where he will face charges for Fischer's murder. The case has been decades in the making, with investigators working tirelessly to link Mullen to the crime scene through DNA evidence.
Can you believe it? It's like something out of a True Detective episode... Mullen's been living under the radar for decades and now he's being dragged back in for the murder of Nina Fischer 
. 77 years old, dude, that's like watching a whole different era of music come to an end. I feel bad for his defense team trying to argue that memory can get all wonky with age, but it sounds like they're reaching 
.
. And now, here we are, 52 years later, about to find out if he's guilty or not 
. It's gonna be so intense when he walks into that courtroom on April 20... will justice finally be served? Only time will tell 
Mullen is gonna be tried for Nina's murder after all these years! I mean I knew DNA was gonna crack the case eventually 
and now we get to see justice served on April 20 
. Its crazy how much time has passed since the crime happened in 1973, its like a whole different lifetime ago 
. I hope Peter Kuykendall can prove that memory gets all messed up with age and get him off the hook 
. But I'm not holding my breath, the DNA evidence seems pretty solid 
. Cant wait to see how this whole trial goes down 
And what's up with the prosecution saying he's competent to stand trial? That's not exactly reassuring.
just thinking about this old guy going back to court after all these years is crazy... 77 and still gotta deal with the trauma of his past crimes 
. And what's up with the DNA evidence from 2021? That's like finding a time capsule or something 
I'm trying to be empathetic towards Nina's family and loved ones, but it's hard not to feel like justice isn't being served yet 
The fact that they finally got DNA evidence linking Mullen to the crime scene after all these years is a game-changer 
it's like, impossible to fake that kinda stuff. and what really gets me is that mullen is now 77 and expectin to take on his past crimes... that's some heavy stuff for a guy that young
. its like, dude u cant just live ur life & get away w murder for 50 yrs without even botherin 2 check ur own DNA 
. anywayz i'm lowkey curios what's gonna happen in trial now...
it's like the justice system is just waiting for someone to slip up so we can finally get closure, but what about Nina's family? Have they even had a say in this whole process? 
two decades plus of being stuck in limbo for Nina and her little one... this is some messed up stuff 
dna evidence from 2021 was a game changer tho, no idea how they managed to link him to the crime scene back then...anyway, can't wait to see what happens at trial. hopes justice will be served 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing! 77 years old and still standing trial? 
Can you even believe it? And now he's going to have to face his past on April 20th... I'm literally shaking with anxiety 
May justice be served 
. It's crazy how technology has changed everything, even old cold cases 
. Like, can't we resolve these things sooner? I feel bad for Nina Fischer's family and her two-year-old kid who was left to deal with all this trauma over the years 
.
Guess we'll have to wait and see how the trial unfolds...
I'm not saying he's definitely guilty, but it looks super suspicious right about now. We'll see how it all plays out on April 20th... fingers crossed for justice 