SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — Matthew Muller, the infamous rapist who was convicted of kidnapping Denise Huskins in Vallejo, not too long ago confessed to finishing up extra crimes in opposition to girls across the Bay Space earlier than the Huskins incident, court docket paperwork obtained by KRON4 on Tuesday revealed.
In a collection of jail letters written in 2024, Muller not solely confessed to concentrating on extra victims, he additionally defined why he did it, in accordance with a Palo Alto Police Division report filed in Santa Clara County court docket.
Muller, 47, was featured in a Netflix documentary, “American Nightmare,” that chronicled Huskins’ harrowing expertise when Muller kidnapped her from her Vallejo house and held her for 2 days inside his South Lake Tahoe cabin in 2015. After Muller dropped Huskins off in Southern California and the lacking lady was discovered, Vallejo police falsely accused her of faking her personal kidnapping in a “Gone Girl”-inspired hoax.
Denise Huskins attends the 2024 Critics Selection Actual TV Awards on June 15, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Picture by Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)
Earlier this 12 months, Huskins started working with Seaside Police Chief Nick Borges on methods to enhance coaching for regulation enforcement officers dealing with intercourse assault instances. Borges mentioned he had by no means heard of the unsolved 2009 South Bay chilly instances till he watched “American Nightmare.” The instances had been included within the documentary due to putting similarities to the Huskins case.
After his conversations with Huskins in March, Chief Borges started sending letters to Muller, who was an inmate at a federal jail in Arizona.
On April 15 and Could 6, 2024, Chief Borges obtained reply letters from Muller by which he confessed to victimizing Huskins in Vallejo, in addition to a lady in Palo Alto, and a 3rd lady in Mountain View, a 73-page lengthy police report states.
The letters had been detailed in new court docket paperwork filed as a part of a brand new felony case in opposition to Muller in Santa Clara County. On Monday, the district legal professional introduced that new DNA proof linked Muller to a 2009 house invasion and tried rape in Mountain View, and a second 2009 house invasion in Palo Alto. In each incidents, the victims had been younger girls who had been tied up and drugged by a person who broke into their bedrooms.
Timeline: Matthew Muller and ‘Gone Girl’ Vallejo kidnapping case
In a single jail letter, Muller defined why he first started breaking into the houses of younger girls with intentions to rape them, court docket paperwork state. Muller mentioned his felony life started with voyeurism. Over time, it escalated into house invasions, tried rapes, and finally kidnapping a rape sufferer.
Matthew Muller is seen in mugshots from 2015 and 2018. (Photos by way of Solano County District Legal professional’s Workplace)
“Muller discussed the Mountain View crime. The idea to raid a home and rape a woman developed in August or September 2009 and he was in a manic state. His decision making was impaired and warped. He began taking late night walks and began watching people in their homes. (Muller) saw a woman undressing in a home and (this) was his first experience with voyeurism,” court docket paperwork state.
“In reference to the Mountain View crime, Muller entered through the kitchen. He went upstairs, woke the victim, made her drink a combination of Nyquil and anxiolytic. He also bound the victim. Muller intended to rape the woman, but he did not want to. Muller described the victim as white, attractive, dark-haired, about 30,” the police report writes.
“Muller continued late night walks and looking into houses. Muller took interest in Palo Alto’s College Terrace neighborhood,” close to Stanford College, the report states.
When a Palo Alto Police Division officer observed Muller throughout considered one of his late evening walks on Williams Road, Muller lied by claiming he was a Harvard College professor who was a visiting college member at Stanford. Muller had taught at Harvard, however he by no means had a job at Stanford, investigators mentioned.
On Oct. 18, 2009, “Muller broke into a Palo Alto home, bound and gagged a woman in her 30’s and made her drink Nyquil. He then began to assault her, before being persuaded to stop. Muller gave the victim crime prevention advice, then fled,” prosecutors wrote. In his letters to Seaside Police Chief Borges, Muller admitted to finishing up the Palo Alto crime.
In a single handwritten letter from Muller dated Could 23, 2024, Muller defined why he’s now keen to cooperate with investigators to resolve the 2009 South Bay chilly instances.
His change of coronary heart was not brought on by “remorse, his mental health, or his born again Christian religious conversion,” court docket information state. As an alternative, Muller claims he feels a “common goal” with police for safeguarding victims and “strengthening laws for future potential victims,” court docket information state.
Denise Huskins retells her ‘American Nightmare’ at Seaside coaching occasion for cops
Muller wrote one other letter to the police chief on June 19, 2024, by which he describes how he is attempting to “redeem” a “terrible situation” whereas he’s locked in jail. Earlier than the Huskins case made nationwide headlines and was became the “American Nightmare” documentary, Muller served as a Marine, graduated from Harvard College, and labored as an legal professional in California.
In his June 2024 letter, Muller described “how it’s strange that he used to protect and enable women, and was somehow driven to hurt them instead.”
Denise Huskins walks right into a information convention in San Francisco on Sept. 29, 2016. (Picture By Paul Chinn/ The San Francisco Chronicle by way of Getty Photos)
Muller was locked up in federal jail for seven years after he was convicted in 2017 of kidnapping Huskins. Throughout his 2017 sentencing, U.S. Legal professional Phillip Talbert mentioned, “Muller had advantages in life that most people only dream of, yet he used his considerable intelligence to plan and execute the physical assault and psychological torture.”
Seaside Police Chief Borges mentioned he consulted with Huskins earlier than he despatched any letters to Muller. In July of 2024, Borges handed the infamous kidnapper’s alleged confession letters over to the police chiefs of Palo Alto and Mountain View. Borges defined to the chiefs that he turned thinking about their chilly instances due to the Netflix documentary.
Borges informed the Palo Alto and Mountain View chiefs that Muller “wants to confess all his past crimes.”
Borges determined to not attain out to the Vallejo Police Division, which, in accordance with Huskins, by no means absolutely apologized for calling her kidnapping a hoax.
Final week, Muller was transported from a federal jail to a county jail in San Jose to face new prices for the 2009 South Bay chilly instances. Santa Clara County District Legal professional Jeff Rosen mentioned advances in DNA know-how allowed investigators to make a DNA match from proof discovered on the Palo Alto crime scene. Muller’s DNA was detected on one of many bindings that was used to tie the sufferer up, Rosen mentioned.
The jail letters had been included with new DNA proof to prosecute Muller in Santa Clara County, court docket information present.
On Monday afternoon, Muller briefly appeared in court docket and didn’t enter a plea. He’s scheduled to be arraigned on the Corridor of Justice on January 17. A choose ordered the high-profile inmate to stay locked in a San Jose jail cell with no bail.
Rosen informed reporters outdoors the courthouse, “I think it’s fair to say that there were mistakes made in this investigation. What we’re proud to say now is that we’re able to bring this perpetrator to justice.”
Rosen added, “The details of this person’s violent crime spree seem scripted for Hollywood, but they are tragically real. 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.”
