Harvard Law Grad Arrested in Kidnapping Case Once Thought a Hoax
VALLEJO, Calif., July 14 (UPI) — A former U.S. Marine and Harvard Law School graduate was arrested Monday in a kidnapping of a California woman that was once considered a hoax.
The FBI said there is probable cause to believe Matthew Muller, 38, kidnapped Denise Huskins from her home on March 23. At the time, her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, told investigators assailants entered her home, drugged them, tied him up and took off with Huskins, putting swim goggles over her eyes to ensure she couldn’t identify the kidnapper. Huskins, 29, mysteriously appeared days later some 400 miles away, in Huntington Beach, unharmed after an $8,500 ransom demand.
Investigators said they found materials including a pair of swim googles, a water pistol and a flashlight with a laser pointer, all allegedly used in the kidnapping, and the suspect’s Ford Mustang. The FBI said Muller could be connected to other home invasions in northern California.
“Today is a fabulous day for Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn,” said Huskins’ attorney Doug Rappaport, standing next to his client and her boyfriend at a press conference Monday afternoon. “Nearly four months ago we told you she was innocent, that she was the victim of a violent crime. Today, there is vindication.”
Muller’s attorney said his client, already in jail on a separate home invasion charge when arrested in Huskins’ kidnapping, plans to plead not guilty. Thomas Johnson said Muller has bipolar disorder.
Muller graduated from Harvard Law in 2006, but was suspended from practicing law in 2013 for failure to pay annual dues. The state bar also filed a disciplinary charge against Muller for failure to file a green card application for a client’s son. Muller was a Marine from 1995 to 1999.
