Alleged cop killer goes on trial Monday

Monday, Jan. 11, 1999 | 9:06 a.m.

Siaosi Vanisi, 28, faces the death penalty if he's found guilty of killing Sgt. George Sullivan, 43, a married father of five and 19-year veteran of the UNR force.

Washoe County District Attorney Richard Gammick contends Vanisi deliberately set out that night to kill a police officer and bragged about it afterward.

"This was a very brutal murder and what people need to understand is that if a person will take on a trained, armed police officer ... what protection do any of us have?" Gammick said.

Public Defender Mike Specchio insists Vanisi is innocent, despite evidence linking his client to the crime.

He plans to call about a dozen witnesses to the stand, half the amount the prosecution questioned.

Jury selection begins Monday and testimony could begin Tuesday or Wednesday. The trial is expected to last two weeks.

Sullivan was sitting in his patrol car near UNR's Center Street entrance just before 1 a.m. Jan. 13, 1998 when he was approached by another man.

The officer got out of the car and died at the scene after being struck numerous times in the head with a hatchet, investigators said.

His death caused the closure of UNR and one of the biggest manhunts in Reno history. More than 3,000 people attended a memorial service for him on the UNR campus.

One of the biggest breaks for police came when a cousin told police he heard Vanisi say he wanted to kill a cop prior to Sullivan's death.

Vanisi was captured the day after the slaying at the Salt Lake City apartment of another relative after a 3 1/2 -hour standoff ended with tear gas and gunfire.

Sullivan's widow, Carolyn, a registered nurse, plans to attend the trial but has refused interviews out of a concern her statements might affect it.

"She's happy it's coming to a head or it's going to trial because they would like to see some closure," said lawyer Cal Dunlap, who has assisted her.