Matthew Muller, the convicted kidnapper of California woman Denise Huskins, famously known as the “Gone Girl” kidnapping, has recently confessed to committing additional crimes against women across the San Francisco Bay Area prior to the Huskins incident, according to court documents.
Muller, 47, sent letters from prison in 2024 admitting to the crimes, including targeting several other victims and explaining his motivations, as detailed in a report from the Palo Alto police department filed in Santa Clara County court, according to KRON4.
Huskins case
Matthew Muller held Denise Huskins captive for two days in his South Lake Tahoe cabin after kidnapping her from her Vallejo, California, home in 2015. The Netflix documentary American Nightmare details this ordeal. After Huskins’ release in Southern California, Vallejo police wrongly accused her of faking the kidnapping, comparing it to the movie Gone Girl.
Muller was sentenced in 2017 for the kidnapping of Huskins, having previously been a Marine, Harvard graduate, and attorney in California.
New confessions and DNA evidence
Earlier this year, Huskins began working with Seaside police chief Nick Borges on improving law enforcement’s handling of sexual assault cases. Borges, having never heard of the unsolved 2009 South Bay cold cases, learned of them after watching the documentary. The cases were featured in the documentary American Nightmare due to their striking similarities to the Huskins case.
Following discussions with Huskins in March, Chief Borges began writing to Muller, who was imprisoned at a federal facility in Arizona. On April 15 and May 6, 2024, Borges received letters from Muller, in which he confessed to the Vallejo kidnapping, as well as crimes involving women in Palo Alto and Mountain View in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, according to a 73-page police report.
These letters were included in newly filed court documents as part of a new criminal case against Muller in Santa Clara County, where both Palo Alto and Mountain View are situated. On Monday, the district attorney announced that new DNA evidence linked Muller to two 2009 home invasions and an attempted rape in Mountain View, as well as a second home invasion in Palo Alto. In both incidents, the young female victims were tied up and drugged by a man who had broken into their homes.
In one of the letters, Muller detailed how his criminal activity began with voyeurism. Over time, he escalated to home invasions, attempted rapes, and eventually kidnapping his rape victims.
Details of Mountain View and Palo Alto crimes
Regarding the Mountain View crime, Muller described how the idea for the attack developed in 2009 when he was in a manic state. He began taking late-night walks and watching women undress in their homes. During the break-in, Muller entered the victim’s home, drugged her with a combination of Nyquil and anxiety medication, and bound her. He admitted he had intended to rape her but ultimately did not follow through.
Muller’s crimes continued, with a focus on Palo Alto’s College Terrace neighborhood. In October 2009, he broke into a Palo Alto home, bound and drugged a woman in her 30s, and began to assault her before halting. Muller later fled the scene after giving the victim crime prevention advice.
Muller’s desire for redemption
Muller’s change of heart regarding his cooperation with investigators was not due to remorse but rather a shared goal with the police to protect future victims and strengthen laws, according to KRON4. In letters from May and June 2024, Muller described his desire to “redeem” himself and acknowledged the strangeness of his actions, as he had once worked to protect women but was driven to hurt them instead.
Vallejo police department not contacted by Borges
In July 2024, Borges shared Muller’s alleged confessions with the police chiefs of Palo Alto and Mountain View, noting that Muller wanted to confess to all of his crimes. The Vallejo police department was not contacted by Borges, as Huskins said they had not fully apologized for labeling her kidnapping a hoax.
Muller faces new charges
In the past week, Muller was transferred from a federal prison to a San Jose county jail to face new charges related to the 2009 South Bay cold cases. Santa Clara County district attorney Jeff Rosen confirmed that DNA evidence from the Palo Alto crime scene had led to a match with Muller’s DNA.
Rosen commented, “We’re proud to say we can bring this perpetrator to justice,” acknowledging that mistakes had been made in the investigation but stressed the importance of holding Muller accountable. He added, “This nightmare is over.”
Muller’s court appearance
On Monday afternoon, Muller appeared briefly in court but did not enter a plea. He is scheduled for arraignment on January 17. The judge ordered that Muller remain in custody without bail.
