Matthew Muller, a Marine veteran and a lawyer with a Harvard degree, stands out for his involvement in the 2015 kidnapping of Denise Huskins in Vallejo, California; an incident that became widely publicized and was enforced to be a fake, by the police. Moving on, this article seeks to highlight, compile, and mix up Muller’s history, the details of the crime, the trial that followed, and what he is doing now.
Early Life and Education
Born on March 27, 1977, Matthew Daniel Muller, the child of enthusiastic parents, grew up in California. He graduated from Bella Vista High School in California in 1995 with more than 3.8 GPA while taking classes for high achievers. He is also notable for being a polyglot and speaks in English, Spanish, Russian and German. He attended and graduated from Pomona College with a Bachelor’s in Science degree, and subsequently from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor degree.
Military Service and Legal Career
From 1995 to 1997, Muller was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, as part of California’s United States Marine Corps. While at his service, he had a few side reports of having served off base at a newspaper and at times being a member of the service band where he used to play the trumpet. After his completion of military duty, he was able to start on a career in law with specialization in immigration. Once he even made headlines by preventing deportation by running a petition online and was also among the one hundred America Bar Association’s “Techiest Lawyers” after that. Unfortunately, his complex life problems saw an end to his legal career and he was disbarred in 2015. WIKIPEDIA
Mental Health Struggles
He, in sorrow, was diagnosed with a Bi-polar disorder with psychotic features and Schizophrenia.
His personal and professional life was in shambles due to his repeated criminal pursuits which were a result of his mental health issues that were initiated while he was serving in the military in Middle East region.
Denise Huskins Abduction Case
In the month of March, 2015 Matthew Muller devised a plan to Kidnap Denise Huskins from her boyfriend Aaron Quinn’s house in Vallejo, California. Matthew Muller rather fancied himself as a part of a crime syndicate when he went ahead and invaded their house, tied up both partners, drugged them and then extracted a ransom for Huskins while she was taken hostage. She was held captive for two long days before makings sound reappearance.
The police department of Vallejo rather dismissed the kidnaping entirely and claimed it to be a practic sack of mute act where the lady was on ‘Gone Girl’ a film and novel. The way the entire thing was handled raised eyebrows and caused public resentment against the officials in charge.
Investigation and Arrest
Muller’s case comes from the perspective of a botched home robbery in Dublin, California, in the month of June, 2015. While he attempted to engage in the attempted offense, evidence such as cellphone material was left on the scene which officials connected to the Huskins kidnapping incident.
An initial examination of his residence turned up skeletal remains, portable computers, phones, ski masks, black duct taped goggles, guns replicas, and what was conspicuously a sleeping quarters that lacked comforters that looked like it had just been used.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Muller was convicted in federal charges pertaining to the kidnapping of Denise Huskins back in 2016, where he was sentenced for 40 years of confinement in a federal penitentiary. He soon stood charged by the state under several criminal charges including; forcible rape, robbery, burglary, false imprisonment and others. These charges pleaded no contest to in 2022 and resulted in state imprisonment of a further 31 years to run concurrently with his federal sentence.
Current Status
Currently Matthew Muller is at the Federal Correction Institution located in Tucson Arizona with an expected exit in 2049. His story is captured in varied media and for one of it, Netflix, he featured in the docuseries American Nightmare which talks of the abduction and the legal issues that followed.
Impact on Victims and Authorities
The first phase of the probe was poorly done by Vallejo Police Department and this drove the situation out of control for Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn. The couple suffered a lot as they were ridiculed by society and faced emotional pressure after the authorities discredited them early on
Later, they got a settlement of $2.5 million from the city of Vallejo for damages and emotional sufferings. THE SUN Conclusion Matthew Muller’s portrait of a highly decorated Marine ex-Harvard attorney who then swiftly turns into a criminal is a reminder of the intricate relationship between different forms of psychopathology and crime. His story is a warning of the need for treatment and the danger of ignoring such problems.
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