Related Federal Cases
Ex-Marine Gets 40 Years for Vallejo Kidnapping
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Matthew Muller, 39, of South Lake Tahoe, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for his role in a 2015 kidnapping in Vallejo, California.
On March 23, 2015, Muller, a former U.S. Marine, broke into the home of Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins in Vallejo, armed with a stun gun and a simulated firearm. Muller bound and blindfolded the pair, forcing them to drink a sedative and threatening to cut their faces or administer electric shock if they did not comply.
Muller then drove Huskins to his home in South Lake Tahoe, where he kept her under his control, at times bound and blindfolded. He sent Quinn two emails demanding a ransom of $17,000, but no payment was made. Muller released Huskins on March 25, 2015, in Huntington Beach.
During the kidnapping, Muller sent emails to a reporter in San Francisco, falsely claiming that the kidnapping was carried out by a group of elite criminals perfecting their kidnapping-for-ransom tactics.
The case remained unsolved until June 8, 2015, when Dublin Police Services of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department arrested Muller and searched his South Lake Tahoe residence. The FBI then conducted its own investigation, seizing evidence from Muller’s residence, a vehicle in Reno, two other residences, and his Vallejo storage locker.
Analysis of Muller’s computers uncovered sound recordings and video footage of the kidnapping, including footage of Muller assaulting Huskins in his South Lake Tahoe residence. In sentencing Muller, U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley referred to the defendant’s actions as heinous.
U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said, ‘The sentence imposed today reflects the egregiousness of Muller’s conduct in this case. 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 of two innocent strangers.’
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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