Matthew Muller, currently serving a 40-year sentence for a 2015 Vallejo kidnapping and rape, is facing new charges related to a previously unreported abduction and ransom case from the same year. The incident, which involved two men and a woman held captive in San Ramon, California, came to light through Muller's confession to a small-town police chief. The victims, who paid a substantial ransom for their release, never reported the crime to authorities due to fear and continue to wish to remain anonymous.
Muller, a Harvard-educated former immigration attorney and Marine veteran, allegedly fled with the ransom money. The case took an unexpected turn when Seaside Police Chief Nick Borges, after hosting the Vallejo kidnapping victims for a discussion on police procedures, became suspicious that Muller might have committed other crimes. Borges's subsequent letter to Muller resulted in confessions to multiple offenses, including the 2015 San Ramon kidnapping. This information was then shared with Contra Costa County investigators.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's office has filed three counts of kidnapping for ransom against Muller, who could face life imprisonment if convicted. This case adds to the growing list of crimes attributed to Muller, including two 2009 home invasions in Santa Clara County recently linked to him through DNA evidence. Muller has reportedly confessed to these crimes as well. He is currently incarcerated in Arizona but is expected to be extradited to California for arraignment on the new charges. The Vallejo case, initially dismissed as a hoax, involved Muller drugging a couple, abducting the woman, and sexually assaulting her before releasing her in Southern California.
