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A convicted kidnapper and rapist who has made headlines throughout the state and country in recent years amid his conviction for other crimes throughout the state – including a Vallejo kidnapping that was the subject of a 2024 true crime documentary – could now be facing life in prison following a Contra Costa judge’s ruling.
Matthew Muller, who was already serving multiple life sentences for his crimes in other parts of the state, was sentenced to seven years to life in Contra Costa County Superior court Thursday after pleading no contest for a 2015 ransom incident that came to light last year.
According to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office, Muller kidnapped two San Ramon men and a woman for ransom in 2015, forcing them to withdraw a ransom of more than $30,000 to secure their release.
“The seriousness of Muller’s offenses was indeed nightmarish for the victims,” District Attorney Diana Becton said in an announcement Thursday. “The investigative work by law enforcement and our coordinated efforts with the El Dorado County District Attorney, Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office show that being resolute in the pursuit of justice can bring a measure of closure for the victims and reinforce our commitment to public safety.”
Muller was charged by Becton’s office in January after the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office joined the investigation into Muller’s additional crimes that he confessed to while serving a 40-year sentence for the kidnapping of Vallejo woman Denise Huskins in late March 2015 – which was notoriously described as a “hoax” by law enforcement at the time, and with the incident going on to garner a national audience with the 2024 release of Netflix’s “American Nightmare.”
Muller struck again in the San Ramon case in April 2015, and was ultimately connected to the Vallejo kidnapping during an Alameda County Sheriff’s Office investigation into a Dublin home invasion that June, in which they traced Muller to his cabin in South Lake Tahoe and arrested him for the Dublin incident.
The San Ramon case was not reported by the victims – who are continuing to remain anonymous – for fear of retribution, only becoming unearthed after Muller’s confession led local authorities to get involved.
Muller’s crimes date back to well before 2015, with guilty pleas in two home invasions on the Peninsula in 2009 – one in Mountain View, and one months later in Palo Alto, which included a sexual assault – garnering him two life sentences earlier this year.
The San Ramon and Peninsula cases, as well as others throughout Northern California, came to light following an investigation that yielded confessions from Muller to the additional crimes according to the Seaside Police Department, with the first allegedly being in 1993 when he was 16 years old.
Now 48, Muller will be in his late 80s or early 90s before he is eligible for a parole board hearing, according to the announcement from Becton’s office Thursday.
