Man convicted in 2015 Vallejo kidnapping case charged in 2009 home invasion attacks in South Bay
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The man convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting Denise Huskins in Vallejo in 2015 has now been charged with home invasion sexual assault in the South Bay in a case dating back to 2009.
On Monday, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office announced Matthew Muller, 47, faces two felony counts of committing a sexual assault during a home invasion 15 years ago.
ABC7 was there when he appeared in a San Jose courtroom.
The district attorney said on Sept. 29, 2009, Muller allegedly broke into Mountain View home, attacking a woman in her 30's. He tied her, drugged her and said he was going to rape her. Authorities say she persuaded him not to, told her to get a dog, and fled.
A few weeks later, on Oct. 18, 2009, Muller reportedly broke into another woman's home at nearby Palo Alto. The DA's office says he bound and gagged her, and forced her to drink Nyquil. She also told him not to, and Muller gave her "crime prevention advice," then fled.
Both cases went unsolved.
RELATED: Denise Huskins recounts her 'nightmare'
"The details of this person's violent crime spree seem scripted for Hollywood, but they are tragically real," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a press release to ABC7.
"Our goal is to make sure this defendant is held accountable and will never hurt or terrorize anyone ever again. Our hope is that this nightmare is over."
RELATED: Couple at center of kidnapping Vallejo police called hoax break their silence
Muller is known for the kidnapping and assault of Denise Huskins in Vallejo back in 2015.
In March 2015, Muller broke into the Vallejo home, drugging Huskins and her now-husband Aaron Quinn. He kidnapped Huskins, brought her to South Lake Tahoe, sexually assaulting her, and releasing her in Southern California.
Once Huskins was freed, the couple was then accused of a hoax, and the case set off a media firestorm fueled by suggestions that the case mirrored the book and movie "Gone Girl."
Muller was arrested for Huskins' kidnapping in June 2015 when he was identified as a suspect in a home invasion in Dublin.
Vallejo police has since apologized to the Huskins and Quinn on calling it a hoax.
RELATED: Survivors of Vallejo 'Gone Girl' case respond after police apologize for calling them liars
Muller pleaded guilty in 2016 for the kidnapping, and in 2022 for the sexual assault.
The case became the subject of the Netflix documentary "American Nightmare" released earlier this year.
Santa Clara County DA's Office says the result of "advances in forensic DNA testing" led to the charges.
The DA's office says it coordinated with Palo Alto and Mountain View police department following a new lead and sent all evidence back to the crime lab for testing. Muller's DNA was found on straps he used to bind one of the victims.
Muller had been serving a sentence in Arizona.
If convicted in these latest charges, he faces life in prison.
ABC News contributed to this report
