California prosecutors filed new charges against the convicted kidnapper and rapist in connection with a 2015 kidnapping and ransom case involving three victims in the Bay Area that officers were never told had happened until he confessed, according to authorities.
Matthew Muller, 47, is serving a 40-year sentence for kidnapping and raping a Vallejo woman in 2015. Her abduction was initially thought to be a hoax, cynically dubbed the “Gone Girl” kidnapping after the book and movie.
In the new case, which was not reported to police at the time, Muller allegedly kidnapped two unidentified men and a woman in San Ramon and held them hostage until one of them paid “tens of thousands of dollars” in ransom to free all three.
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Matthew Muller, a disbarred, Harvard-educated immigration attorney, was finally arrested for kidnapping Denise Huskins after being implicated in a similar home invasion via his forgotten cell phone. (Solane County Sheriff’s Department)
Muller, a Harvard alumnus, Marine Corps veteran and former immigration attorney, took the money and ran, prosecutors allege. The victims were so scared they never called authorities, and prosecutors say they still wish to remain anonymous.
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“The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office has filed three kidnapping-for-ransom charges against Matthew Daniel Muller, a convicted kidnapper and rapist currently serving a 40-year prison sentence.” Contra Costa County District Attorney Diane Becton’s office posted on Facebook.
“These new charges stem from a previously unreported crime in 2015 in San Ramon, where Muller illegally held three victims captive and demanded tens of thousands of dollars for their release. The revelation came to light in 2024 after Muller admitted to multiple crimes in Northern California, including this incident in Contra Costa County.”
Becton’s office filed three kidnapping-for-ransom charges in the San Ramon case.
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Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn, victims of a bizarre March 2015 kidnapping case in Vallejo, appear at a press conference with attorney Doug Rappaport, left, in San Francisco on September 29, 2016. (Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Her colleague in Santa Clara County said last month that Muller is also now a suspect in two home invasions in 2009. State-of-the-art forensic DNA testing led detectives to him in those cases, authorities said.
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But Muller also allegedly confessed to all three newly discovered crimes in letters he exchanged with police, according to prosecutors.
“After learning of Muller’s confession, detectives from the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation, despite the lack of a reported crime in 2015,” Becton’s office said. “The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office joined the investigation on December 13, 2024, which included a meeting with Muller.”
If convicted on the latest charges, he could face life in prison. He is serving his current sentence in a federal prison in Arizona, but is expected to return to California to face the new charges. Becton’s office did not specify a trial date.
Police headquarters in Vallejo, California, on July 14, 2015. (Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
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“The trauma of a crime can have lasting effects that some people endure for a lifetime – whether the crime is reported or not,” Becton said. “Muller committed serious crimes throughout Northern California, and my office will be determined to seek justice on behalf of the victims in Contra Costa County.”
In the Vallejo case, Muller broke into a home and drugged a woman and her boyfriend. He tied up the victim, brought her to a cabin in South Lake Tahoe and sexually assaulted her. He held her for two days before driving her to Southern California and releasing her.
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Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
