Muller, convicted kidnapper, rapist, now linked to San Ramon kidnappings and ransom
SAN RAMON, Calif. - The man who kidnapped and raped Denise Huskins, in a case Vallejo police once deemed a hoax, faces additional charges connected to a previously unreported 2015 kidnapping and ransom case in unincorporated San Ramon.
On Monday, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office said they were notified by the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office about the possible crimes. The sheriff's office news release states Matthew Muller has previously had numerous residencies in California, including in Solano and El Dorado counties.
Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office filed a three-count felony complaint against Muller, 47, who is currently serving a 40-year federal prison sentence in Tuscon, Arizona for the Huskins ‘Gone Girl’ kidnapping case, which was the subject of the 2024 Netflix series, American Nightmare.
The series chronicled Huskins' kidnapping, and police and FBI suspicions that the abduction had been staged with her boyfriend Aaron Quinn.
Muller, a former U.S. Marine, broke into a Vallejo home on March 23, 2015, and tied up the young couple.
He took Huskins to a cabin in South Lake Tahoe, where he sexually assaulted her. Two days later, he drove Huskins to Southern California and released her, according to police.
The series has set off a re-investigation of Muller's crimes.
Just last week, we learned about sex assaults linked to Muller in the South Bay from 2009. Now, officials in Contra Costa County say Muller also committed an East Bay home-invasion robbery in 2015.
Matthew Muller
According to the D.A.'s office, this latest criminal investigation came to light over the course of 2024 through correspondence between law enforcement and Muller, during which he allegedly confessed to multiple crimes in Northern California, including what happened in San Ramon in 2015.
The D.A.'s office said that in the spring of 2015, Muller unlawfully held two John Does and one Jane Doe for ransom. He demanded that one of the victims withdraw tens of thousands of dollars from their bank account to secure the release of the others. Muller was able to secure the ransom money and fled the residence.
Officials said the victims feared retribution, so they never reported the crime and have chosen to remain anonymous to this day.
The D.A.'s office coordinated with El Dorado and Santa Clara County district attorney's offices in their investigation.
"Using the information provided by the El Dorado D.A.'s Office, detectives conducted an investigation that included multiple interviews and as well as the examination of evidence. They confirmed that Muller committed a home-invasion robbery in unincorporated San Ramon in early 2015. That incident was never reported to the sheriff's office," the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office news release said.
"The trauma of crime can have lasting effects that some people endure for their entire lives — whether the crime is reported or not," said Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton. "Muller committed serious offenses throughout Northern California and my office will be resolute in seeking justice on behalf of the victims in Contra Costa County."
On Tuesday, a major update is expected from the El Dorado County district attorney, who is set to hold a noon news conference.
Muller's arraignment on these latest felony charges for kidnapping for ransom is scheduled at a future date in Contra Costa Superior Court.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
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Vallejo kidnapper Matthew Muller charged in 15-year-old South Bay attacks
Matthew Muller, the man who abducted Denise Huskins in Vallejo, sparking a case in which police initially accused her of staging her own kidnapping, has now been charged by Santa Clara prosecutors with breaking into women's homes in Palo Alto and Mountain View, stemming from cases 15 years ago.