A Marin County judge has determined that there is adequate evidence to proceed with a murder trial against Michael Eugene Mullen, linked to the 1973 murder of Nina Fischer. The case had gone cold until DNA evidence connected Mullen, now 76 and living in Idaho, to the crime. Investigators revealed inconsistencies in Mullen's statements about the case, and he is currently in custody, having pleaded not guilty. The preliminary hearing featured testimonies from various experts and underscored the significance of DNA in resolving cold cases.
Given the totality of the record, it does meet probable cause, Judge Geoffrey Howard said after the preliminary hearing concluded Tuesday for Michael Eugene Mullen.
The investigation went cold until 2021, when the state Department of Justice's familial search program helped sheriff's detectives link DNA evidence from the case to Mullen.
Angela Meyers, a criminalist with the state Department of Justice, testified that she analyzed DNA evidence from semen on a swab taken from the victim's body.
Mullen was brought into court in a wheelchair for the daylong preliminary hearing on Tuesday.
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