In 2016, Matthew pleaded guilty to the count upon him and subsequently got sentenced to 40 years in prison. Denise Huskins and her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, listen as their attorneys speak at a news conference July 13, 2015, in Vallejo, Calif. Mike Jory/Vallejo Times-Herald via AP You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. She reappeared just hours before the ransom was due and seemed to be unharmed. Misty Carausu had a nagging feeling that Muller had attempted this kind of crime before. All Rights Reserved. Instead, then-Vallejo Police Chief Andrew Bidou wrote a private letter of apology to them, saying in part that it was now clear what happened was not a hoax or orchestrated event and that [Vallejo Police Department[ conclusions were incorrect.. Muller placed Huskins into the trunk of Quinns car then drove off and switched vehicles, with Huskins still blindfolded, driving her to a South Lake Tahoe family home, where he raped her twice. Muller has yet to stand trial in a state case stemming from Huskins's rape and kidnapping for ransom the case was filed in Solano County Court in 2018, over a year after the federal. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Huntington Beach police officers arrived at the neighbors apartment where Huskins was waiting and began questioning her, who recounted everything that had happened two nights earlier, including the events that unfolded after she was taken from Aaron Quinns home. bizarre and sensational details of the case. What do I do next? she told ABC News Amy Robach. According to his lawsuit, Whitney claims that former Vallejo Police Department Chief Bidou directed Whitney to delete text messages on his cell phone so that they could not be downloaded during the litigation related to the investigation into Huskins' kidnapping filed by Huskins and Aaron Quinn. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Matthew Muller was arrested in South Lake Tahoe on June 8, 2015, and charged with kidnapping for ransom in a federal court. Huskins said that while walking to the closet she noticed two sets of legs from what she believed to be two different people in the bedroom. Muller pleaded guilty to kidnapping Huskins and is serving a 40-year prison sentence. He pleaded guilty in September and on Thursday was sentenced to 40 years. Misty Carausu was a day away from officially being made a detective when she agreed to take part in the arrest of Muller and search of the South Lake Tahoe home. Today, with their assailant Matthew Muller in prison, they've chronicled their story in a new book called "Victim F: From Crime Victims, To Suspects, To Survivors." Huskins says that in the end, the couple's experience of trauma and survival is ultimately a love story with a happy ending. Huskins would later sue the Vallejo Police Department for how they handled the case and was awarded a $2.5 million settlement. Vallejo 'Gone Girl' case: Denise Huskins, Aaron Quinn respond to police He pleaded guilty in September and on Thursday was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison. Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins married in 2018 and have a daughter together named Olivia. Matthew Muller gets 31 years for kidnapping and rape victim - 24ssports It turned out Muller was not a typical criminal. It only took a day from her reappearance for the San Francisco Chronicle to receive a new message from the kidnapper, whod become irritated after seeing news reports that police were portraying Huskins kidnapping as a hoax. After Vallejo police publicly dismissed the kidnapping, the San Francisco Chronicle received letters apparently from Huskins kidnapper, who was upset investigators didnt believe the couple. In 2016, Aaron Quinn and Huskins filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Vallejo and its police department, as well as specific officers involved, alleging a number of claims, including defamation. He then pled no contest to two counts of forcible rape. Crime and Public Safety | Initially Denise and Aaron were issued an apology privately by Vallejo police, who eventually issued a public statement of apology. Matthew Muller was a Harvard-educated lawyer, which just goes to show ya, don't bother judging this book by its cover. Carausu said they also discovered Muller was driving a stolen car. Related: Matthew Muller, Man Charged In Bizarre 2015 'Gone Girl' Kidnapping and Rape, Now . But the voice kept talking and I just remember my eyes shot open and I could see the walls illuminated with a white light that was flashing and I could see a couple of red laser dots crossing the wall, and I could hear, Wake up, this is a robbery. ET on ABC. Here is a timeline of events in the Vallejo kidnapping case involving Muller and Denise Huskins: March 23, 2015 - Muller breaks into Aaron Quinn's Vallejo home at approximately 3am (Denise Huskins . Denise Huskins kidnapping: Harvard-trained attorney Matthew Muller Muller's sentencing ends a chapter in the sensational Vallejo kidnapping case that . What he wasnt charged with were the sexual assaults, the robbery, the burglary against Aaron, Rappaport said. The victims in the so-called "Gone. I had no reason to believe, at that time, that they doubted me, she said. Denise Huskins Was Kidnapped for Ransom, Sexually Assaulted - Heavy.com tav volleyball sold. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Everything to Know About Billy Evans, Body Cam Footage of Paul Pelosi's Attack Released, Showing Moment Assailant Lunged at Him with Hammer, Elizabeth Holmes Gives Birth to 2nd Child, Asks Judge to Let Her Remain Out of Prison Pending Appeal, Who Is Larry Ray? But after Huskins reappeared seemingly unharmed an hour before the ransom was due, two days later, police called a news conference and declared the whole thing a hoax perpetrated by the couple themselves. Distractify is a registered trademark. Quinns older brother is an FBI agent, so he decided he would call him instead, but his brother instructed him to immediately call 911. After leaving a voicemail with him, she began walking to her fathers home. Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn, the California couple falsely accused of staging a kidnapping in 2015, say they believe the real abductor didn't act alone . Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn had a daughter, Olivia, who was born five years to the day that Huskins was released by her kidnapper, she said. Ms. I am thoroughly exhausted, every inch of my body is tired from the fit of terror it was battling., All I did was survive, Huskins wrote, and I was criminalized for it.. In a statement to 20/20 on Monday, Vallejos public information officer Christina Lee admitted, It appears that the follow-up personal public apology did not take place.. Its name is derived from the most common abbreviations for Microsoft and the National Broadcasting Company. He deserved justice, and Denise Huskins Quinn also deserved justice related to the sexual assault crimes that were committed against her, Henry said, according to KTVU. He is defending himself, acting as his own attorney, and on. Watch the full story on "20/20" FRIDAY at 9 p.m. Two incidents from 2009 took place in Palo Alto and Mountain View, and involved an unknown man breaking into the homes of the female victims and threatening to rape them. Denise Huskins Wiki & Bio - Everipedia Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins were married in 2018. The intruder covered their eyes with swimming goggles that had been covered in duct tape to block their sight and put headphones on them. Matthew Daniel Muller who was sentenced in 2017 in a Sacramento federal courtroom to 40 years in prison for kidnapping a couple and raping the female victim before releasing her near her familys Southern California home was scheduled to appear March 24 for a mental health placement review in Department 2 in the Justice Building in Vallejo. 'Gone Girl' Kidnapping Case: 5 Things to Know - People Although I was not chief in 2015 when this incident occurred, I would like to extend my deepest apology to Ms. Huskins and Mr. Quinn for how they were treated during this ordeal.. Aarons car is missing, and they know that he waited a substantial period of time before dialing 911. . Before the intruder left Quinns Vallejo home with Huskins in tow, he had forced Quinn, who would later marry Huskins after the ordeal, to stay on a couch, telling him that a camera on the wall would be watching him and instructing him not to go beyond a taped perimeter marked on the floor. California woman gets 4 years in prison for unwitting role in plot against Iranian opposition activist I knew that hed be a great partner but I could see that he was struggling.. The goggles that Dublin Police Department Detective Misty Carausu found with a strand of blonde hair attached. Huskins borrowed a cellphone from a stranger and called her father, who did not answer. When police asked if shed been sexually assaulted, she told them she hadnt. Muller has since been charged in Solano County with kidnapping for ransom, two counts of forcible rape, robbery, burglary and false imprisonment. But as long as he was willing to really give this a full shot, then we could try again., Huskins didnt know it at the time, but her decision to visit Quinn that night would become a pivotal moment in her life. I said, Yes, the kidnappers drugged me, he said. Vallejo police called the reported abduction a complete fabrication for which the couple should apologize. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. When speaking about his mental health, Muller elaborated about how he believed being bipolar contributed to his actions. The last thing that youre thinking about is, If I do survive, I need to make sure that Im believable.. His defense argued that Muller had spiraled into mental illness. ABCs 20/20: Gone Girl examines the 2015 home invasion and kidnapping case involving Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins, who went from victims to suspects within mere days.