Press Release

Cold Case Prosecutor Gullufsen Retires After 29 Years with Law

July 8, 2010

Anchorage, Alaska - Patrick Gullufsen, the Department of Law's cold case prosecutor for the past three years, will retire next week after 29 years' service for the State of Alaska.

Gullufsen conducted five cold case murder jury trials, all lasting one month or longer. He won guilty verdicts each time, although the conviction of Mechele Linehan was reversed on appeal and the case is headed toward re-trial.

Gullufsen also served as district attorney in Juneau (1979-1984 and 2006-2007), deputy attorney general and head of the Criminal Division (2005-2006), assistant attorney general in the government affairs section of the Civil Division (1992-2005), special statewide prosecutor (1977-1979) and assistant district attorney in Fairbanks (1974-1977).

While serving in the Criminal Division, Gullufsen conducted jury trials all over the state, from the proverbial Ketchikan to Barrow, including in Sitka, Kake, Haines, Yakutat, Delta Junction, Tok, Glennallen, Kenai and Kodiak.

"Pat is a superb attorney and a great public servant who has been dedicated to advancing justice for Alaska's citizens for nearly three full decades," said Attorney General Dan Sullivan. "All of us wish him an enjoyable retirement."

Gullufsen, a native of Juneau, played on two state champion basketball teams for Juneau-Douglas High School, from which he graduated in 1964. He got his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Washington in Seattle, and then went on to clerk for the Superior Court in the First Judicial District in Juneau.

In between stints for the Department of Law, Gullufsen was in private practice in Juneau from 1985 to 1992.

Gullufsen has four sons, all commercial fishermen in Alaska.

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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.