California prosecutors have filed new charges against a convicted kidnapper and rapist in connection with the 2015 kidnapping and ransom spree of three victims in the Bay Area, authorities said. He said he was not informed of the incident until the suspect confessed.
Matthew Mueller, 47, is serving a 40-year sentence for kidnapping and raping a Vallejo woman in 2015. Her kidnapping was initially thought to be a hoax and was ironically named the “Gone Girl” kidnapping, after the book and movie.
In this new incident, which was not reported to police at the time, Mueller allegedly kidnapped two unidentified men and a woman in San Ramon, one of whom held him for a ransom of “tens of thousands of dollars.” It is said that the three were held hostage until they were paid and released.
'Gone Girl' kidnapper charged in 2009 California home invasion
Matthew Mueller, a Harvard-educated immigration lawyer, was ultimately arrested on suspicion of kidnapping Dennis Haskins after he was involved in a similar home invasion involving a forgotten cell phone. (Solane County Sheriff's Department)
Prosecutors say Mueller, a Harvard graduate, Marine Corps veteran and former immigration lawyer, took the money and fled. The victims were too scared to call authorities, but prosecutors say they still wish to remain anonymous.
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Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton's office said on Facebook: “The Contra Costa County Attorney's Office is pleased to announce that Matthew Daniel, a convicted kidnapper and rapist, is currently serving a 40-year federal sentence.・We have charged Mueller with three felony counts of kidnapping for ransom.''
“These new charges stem from previously unreported crimes in San Ramon in 2015, in which Mueller illegally detained three victims and demanded tens of thousands of dollars for their release. This revelation came to light in 2024 after Mueller confessed to multiple crimes in Northern California, including this one in Contra Costa County.
Becton's office filed three charges of kidnapping for ransom in the San Ramon case.
California couple in 'Gone Girl' case charged with premeditated kidnapping
Dennis Haskins and Aaron Quinn, victims of the bizarre Vallejo kidnapping in March 2015, appear at a press conference with attorney Doug Rappaport (left) on September 29, 2016 in San Francisco. (Paul Chin/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Santa Clara County officials said last month that Mueller is also suspected in two home invasions in 2009. Detectives used state-of-the-art forensic DNA testing to identify the suspects in these cases, authorities said.
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However, prosecutors said Mueller also confessed to all three newly revealed crimes in letters he exchanged with law enforcement.
“Detectives from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office began an investigation after learning of Mueller's confession, even though no crimes had been reported in 2015,” Becton's office said in a statement. Ta. “The Contra Costa District Attorney's Office participated in the investigation on December 13, 2024, which included meeting with Mr. Mueller.”
If convicted on this charge, he could be sentenced to life in prison. He is serving his sentence in a federal prison in Arizona, but is scheduled to return to California for arraignment on new charges. Becton's office has not released a court date.
July 14, 2015 at police headquarters in Vallejo, California. (Paul Chin/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
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“The trauma of crime can have lifelong effects for some people, whether or not the crime is reported,” Becton said. “Mueller committed serious crimes across Northern California, and my office will seek robust justice on behalf of the victims in Contra Costa County.”
In the Vallejo incident, Mueller entered a home and drugged a woman and her boyfriend. He tied up the female victim, took her to a cabin in South Lake Tahoe, and sexually assaulted her. He detained her for two days and then drove her to Southern California.
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FOX News' Stephanie Price contributed to this report.
