Ronald Fischer was indicted in Nome Thursday on charges he murdered assistant district attorney Brian Sullivan, who was shot in Barrow in early December.
Thursday's indictment charges 47-year-old Fischer with first- and second-degree murder and one count of assault in the third degree.
Sullivan, 48, had lived in Barrow since May 2012, when he took the position of assistant district attorney. Sullivan was a former Washington state legislator who had come to Alaska in 2001 on active military duty. Before moving to Barrow, he had worked as a private attorney in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
Charging documents allege Fischer shot Sullivan twice in the face from within 10 feet of where Sullivan was seated on a couch at girlfriend Mabel Kaleak's house. Court records show a string of alleged domestic violence incidents involving Fischer in summer and fall, one involving Kaleak. Fischer had several no-contact orders barring him from making contact with 37-year-old Kaleak.
Assistant attorney general James Fayette said Friday that at the indictment hearing Fischer's bail was doubled from $500,000 to $1 million, with a third-party custodian requirement.
The indictment was moved to Nome because Sullivan had appeared as a prosecutor before the Barrow grand jury during the past several months, Fayette said, and to "avoid any claim that the grand jury process was tainted."
The trial will be in Barrow, Fayette said, unless a motion is introduced to change it.
Meanwhile, the Alaska Attorney General's office announced in a release that it had established a memorial fund for Sullivan's three daughters, ages 19, 16 and 14. Donations can be sent to:
Sullivan Daughter's Donation
Acct. No. 2412858512
Wells Fargo
705 S. Bailey St.
Palmer AK 99645