A man who gained notoriety for the “Gone Girl” kidnapping is now facing charges related to two home invasion sexual assaults that occurred 15 years ago, as announced by prosecutors on Monday.
Matthew Muller, 47, allegedly broke into a woman’s residence in Mountain View in September 2009, according to Court TV. During the incident, he reportedly assaulted the woman, restrained her, and compelled her to ingest medications. It is claimed by prosecutors that Muller made threats of raping the woman, although she managed to persuade him otherwise. Prior to leaving, Muller advised her to acquire a dog.
The subsequent month, he purportedly entered a home in Palo Alto, where he immobilized and silenced a woman, coercing her to consume Nyquil. While initiating an assault, she was able to persuade him to halt his advances.
Advances in forensic DNA testing and a new lead enabled the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, along with Palo Alto and Mountain View police, to identify Muller as the suspect in the cases, FOX News Digital reports.
“The details of this person’s violent crime spree seem scripted for Hollywood, but they are tragically real,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “Our goal is to make sure this defendant is held accountable and will never hurt or terrorize anyone ever again. Our hope is that this nightmare is over.”
As CrjmeOnline previously reported, Muller, a disbarred attorney, admitted guilt in the 2015 kidnapping of Denise Huskins. He was sentenced to 31 years in state prison in 2022 after pleading no contest to two counts of forcibly raping Huskins.
Huskins was taken by a masked intruder who entered her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn’s, home in Vallejo. Hoskins was then kidnapped, while the kidnapper demanded an $8,500 ransom from her boyfriend.
During an interrogation, a detective suggested Quinn may have played a role in Huskins’ abduction. Investigators uncovered evidence in his home, including Quinn’s laptop, that linked him to Huskins’ kidnapping, but she later turned up unharmed.
Vallejo police later accused the couple of working together to fake the kidnapping in an elaborate hoax. The couple later filed a lawsuit against the Vallejo Police Department.
The theory was dropped following Muller’s arrest in Dublin for a similar home invasion.
Muller’s subsequent confession aligned with the accounts provided by Quinn and Huskins, detailing audio recordings, blacked-out goggles, and sedatives.
In September 2016, Muller pleaded guilty to federal kidnapping and received a 40-year prison sentence.
In the most recent cases, Muller has been charged with two counts of committing a sexual assault during a home invasion.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: Matthew Muller/(Solane County Sheriff’s Department]
