Where Is Convicted Kidnapper Matthew Muller Now?
Matthew Muller was arrested in Dublin, California, in 2015 in connection with a home invasion that investigators realized bore a striking resemblance to another alleged crime that was dominating new channels (per the Associated Press). In March, a couple named Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn made headlines when police cast doubt on their story that their home had been home broken into, and that the former had been kidnapped and raped before being released by her captor two days later. The couple was shown to have been telling the truth fter evidence showed that Muller was responsible, and he faced a federal kidnapping trial.
Muller is a former marine and attorney who was educated at Harvard University but later disbarred from the profession. In 2016 he pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and expressed remorse for his heinous crimes. While the offenses were traumatic for the victims in their own right, they also risked seeing Huskins and Quinn publicly pilloried and prosecuted themselves for their apparent hoax. "There's nothing I can say," Muller said at his sentencing hearing (via SFGate). "I'm sick with shame that my actions have brought such devastation. I hope my imprisonment can bring closure to Aaron and Denise and I'm prepared for any sentence the court imposes."
In 2017, Muller was sentenced to 40 years in prison, though his sentence has since been compounded by other convictions. The database of the Federal Bureau of Prisons suggests that he is currently being held at a prison facility in Tuscon, Arizona, although he has been kept in other facilities in recent years as he receives medical treatment.
He has been hospitalized for mental health treatment
Matthew Muller's defense team did not attempt to deny that their client committed the crimes of which he was accused. However, they made it quite clear that they believed Muller was not of sound mind when he kidnapped Denise Huskins. According to The Guardian, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2008 and claimed to experience psychosis. His defense put forward his mental health issues as extenuating circumstances to argue against a life sentence.
Muller's mental illness appears to be ongoing and in need of medical intervention. In 2021, he was set to face trial again for other charges related to the break-in, kidnap, and rape of Huskins. During this time, it was reported that the prisoner was receiving treatment at Napa State Hospital. According to the Associated Press, the trial was delayed as Muller was not deemed mentally competent and was administered antipsychotic drugs to ensure he was fit to stand trial.
He is serving two sentences concurrently
Matthew Muller eventually went to trial in 2022 in Solano County Superior Court. The state trial ensured that he faced justice for crimes against Denise Huskins that were not covered in the 2017 federal trial. During the 2022 proceedings, Muller pleaded no contest to two counts of forcible rape. He was also convinced of a bevy of other crimes including the false imprisonment of Aaron Quinn, whom he had bound and drugged during the kidnapping of Huskins.
Despite the enormous 31-year sentence Muller received following his state trial, outlets reported that his state prison stretch would be served concurrently with the 40-year federal sentence from 2017 and would not alter his release date. The Federal Bureau of Prisons lists his estimated release date as 2049. Reports of Muller's age vary from mid- to late-40s, meaning that he will be at least 70 by the time he is due to be released.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).