From the Alaska Department of Law:
The Attorney General’s office announced today that a fund for the daughters of Assistant District Attorney Brian Sullivan has been established to allow the public and Brian’s colleagues to donate in his memory. Brian was shot and killed in Barrow, Alaska on Monday, December 8, 2014.
Brian, who was 48 years old at the time of his death, had worked in the district attorney’s office in Barrow since 2012 and formed a strong bond with the small Arctic community. Prior to taking the post in Barrow, Brian had worked as a private attorney in the Mat-Su Borough along with his previous work in the military as a paratrooper and JAG lawyer and his four years of service in the Washington House of Representatives.
Deputy Attorney General Richard Svobodny described Brian as active in his local community, including his local church. “Brian wanted to expose himself to other cultures—something he had experienced in the military and wanted to continue,” said Deputy Attorney General Svobodny. “This is what drew him to Barrow and to the people. He became involved right away and had made Barrow his home.”
Brian leaves behind his three daughters, ages 19, 16, and 14. The fund was established in Brian’s memory to benefit his children.
Brian’s family has asked that in lieu of gifts or flowers, individuals give money in Brian’s name to the memorial fund or to organizations that assist victims of violent crimes.
To give a donation to the memorial fund, you can make your check out to “Sullivan Daughter’s Donation,” account number 2412858512, and send it to:
Sullivan Daughter’s Donation
Acct. No. 2412858512
Wells Fargo
705 S. Bailey Street
Palmer, Alaska 99645
Yes, this is indeed very sad news.
Does anyone wonder, given that the accused in this case has a very long history of committing violent crimes (more than 30 separate criminal cases in his past) exactly how is it that he was available to commit this crime?
I mean, shouldn’t he have been in prison?
The Newsminer has an update on this murder and the alleged murderer. There are some lessons here for many. The alleged murderer is a convicted felon so he could not legally use or own a firearm. When gun ownership is illegal then murderers still use guns.
A convicted, violent felon in an Alaska village easily might consider he already owns a particular woman. Pursuing that woman at all is risky behavior. The woman is reported to be the mother of children by this felon so that is surely a red flag. The alleged murderer may have any number of women in this town that he considers he owns. Alaska villages are not The Waltons or Little House on the Prairie.
If anyone chooses to disregard his personal safety and participate in risky behavior of this type then he should be both armed and alert. The alleged murderer might have also killed the woman and the children, and therefore the risky behavior put other lives at risk and the responsibility to be armed and alert extended further. A prosecutor and member of the court must have known or should have known the risks.
Why a convicted, violent felon who had reportedly just recently whipped a woman for some perceived infraction was out on the loose is a question for the court system to answer.
If a known violent felon comes through the door with a shotgun then the time for action is at hand and lives are at stake. Now the odds are that this alleged murderer will cost Alaskans $250 per day for as long as he lives, and Mr. Sullivan’s daughters will never again see their father. A liaison with this woman could not possibly have been worth the risk.
Sad, very sad news…
My heart is open to everybody,
and all my forgiveness in Jesus’s name this holiday season
for the person who took Brian’s life.
I pray we all have the strength to accept our fate we encounter on our path to enlightenment.
God Bless All