From jail, kidnapper speaks out about cross-examining woman he allegedly raped
VALLEJO, Calif. (KTVU) - The man convicted of a bizarre kidnapping that Vallejo police once thought was a hoax, is speaking out from jail, just days before he's expected to appear in court as his own attorney.
Matthew Muller is set to cross-examine the woman he's accused of abducting and raping.
"I have to be both my own lawyer and the defendant right now, which is sort of a tricky situation, so I don't mean to be speaking out of both sides of my mouth," Muller told KTVU crime reporter Henry Lee during a web-based interview from Solano County Jail in Fairfield.
Muller said he can't discuss details of the Vallejo kidnapping of Denise Huskins, a crime he's already been convicted of in federal court.
But now, he's representing himself in state court on charges he repeatedly raped Huskins. The Harvard-trained, disbarred lawyer said he plans to be respectful to her.
"It's not a sort of Perry Mason moment or 'A Few Good Men.' It's not going to be a courtroom drama," Muller said. "It's going to be, read some questions, get some answers, very businesslike, very professional, and hopefully none of the sensitive topics would need to be touched."
"So are you planning not to traumatize her or re-victimize her?" Lee asks.
"I certainly hope not, no," Muller replied.
Prosecutors say back in 2015, Muller broke into the Vallejo home Huskins shared with her now-fiance Aaron Quinn, drugged them and took Huskins to the Tahoe area, where he allegedly raped her before releasing her two days later in Southern California.
Muller said he's biploar and will be exploring a mental-health defense. He also said he's been raped in prison. Muller had this response when asked to respond to the charges that he raped Huskins, and if he had anything to say about how she's feeling.
"At this point, that is a pending legal matter, and because of the posture of the case, I can't really speak to the facts of what did or did not happen," Muller said.
Authorities said Muller recorded the rapes on video, which is now in evidence.
"So you don't intend to what some say re-live any moments that might be caught on video?" Lee asks.
Muller replied, with a rueful laugh, "Certainly not. No. No."
The preliminary hearing next week in Vallejo will be just days before Huskins and Quinn get married.
"Someone, I think, had said something about, 'Oh, I'm timing this for their wedding," Muller said. "I had no control over when this is. I really do not."
Lee asked, "What do you want people to know about you?"
"I'm really not that important in the scheme of things. I want the right thing to happen. The odd thing is, I am more or less neutral about whether or not I die in prison."