Suspect pleads not guilty in 'Gone Girl' kidnapping case
Matthew Muller asks for a jury trial in court appearance
A federal grand jury indicted a disbarred attorney Thursday for his alleged role in a bizarre California kidnapping that drew comparisons to the Hollywood blockbuster "Gone Girl."
Matthew Muller, 38, was indicted on one charge of kidnapping, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The indictment replaces an earlier criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors.
Muller is accused of abducting Denise Huskins from her Vallejo home early on the morning of March 23. Authorities believe Muller then accosted her boyfriend Aaron Quinn and demanded $15,000 in exchange for her safe return. Prosecutors believe Muller then released Huskins unharmed near her father's home in Huntington Beach.
Following Huskins' release, Vallejo police initially dismissed the reported kidnapping as an "orchestrated event." However, federal investigators named Muller as a suspect in Huskins' abduction following a similar home invasion in Dublin, Calif. this past June. The FBI said Muller dropped his cellphone at the scene of the incident that was similar to the report filed by Huskins and Quinn.
Vallejo Police Chief Andrew Bidou apologized to Huskins and Quinn in separate letters sent July 20. He said subsequent events and new evidence made it clear there was a kidnapping. However, Huskins and Quinn filed a claim for unspecified monetary damages against the city, saying came too late and contained too many caveats, including the contention that officers took appropriate investigative steps with the information available.
Muller is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday. His attorney has said he plans to plead not guilty.
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