SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Matthew Muller, already serving time for the infamous "Gone Girl" kidnapping, now faces charges for two previously unsolved home invasion sexual assaults from 2009. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's office announced the new charges Monday, highlighting a pattern of violent behavior by the convicted kidnapper.
Prosecutors allege Muller broke into a Mountain View residence in September 2009, where he attacked a woman in her 30s, bound her, and forced her to ingest medication. Although he initially stated intentions to rape her, the victim convinced him to stop. The following month, a similar incident occurred in Palo Alto, where Muller reportedly bound, gagged, and forced another woman to drink Nyquil before beginning a sexual assault that she also successfully persuaded him to halt.
Muller has been charged with two counts of felony sexual assault during a home invasion, each carrying a potential life sentence. These new charges stem from evidence recently uncovered by forensic analysis. According to the District Attorney, DNA belonging to Muller was found on straps used to restrain one of the victims.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen emphasized the gravity of the crimes, describing them as “scripted for Hollywood, but they are tragically real." He vowed to hold Muller accountable to prevent future harm. Muller's defense attorney declined to comment on the new charges.
The charges against Muller are a major development in a case that initially gained notoriety after the 2015 abduction of Denise Huskins. Muller pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and was later sentenced to 31 years for the forcible rape of Huskins. Her abduction, involving a masked intruder who drugged and bound her and her boyfriend, led to an initial suspicion from authorities that it was a hoax.
Police were criticized for comparing the case to the movie "Gone Girl" after Huskins was released unharmed in Huntington Beach. However, these suspicions were later dropped after police arrested Muller for a separate home invasion and forensic evidence linked him to Huskins’ kidnapping, including a computer stolen from her boyfriend. The new charges against Muller add to his criminal history, suggesting a decade-long pattern of violence and sexual assault.
