On March 23, 2015, Matthew Muller broke into the home of Aaron Quinn and his girlfriend Denise Huskins. They were both sedated and blindfolded, and Huskins was kidnapped.
When Quinn woke up hours later, he had messages asking for a ransom and cautioning him against going to the Vallejo Police Department.
This terrifying true story and the aftermath takes the spotlight in Netflix’s latest docuseries American Nightmare, which premiered on January 17, 2024.
The show is created by Felicity Morris and Bernadette Higgins from The Tinder Swindler, and feature appearances from both Huskins and Quinn.
The case has long been referred to as the “Gone Girl” kidnapping as police accused the couple of fabricating their report in light of the 2014 movie.
However, the couple stuck to their story and justice was served over a year later.
In June 2015, Muller — who was 39 years old at the time — was arrested for an unrelated crime. Dublin Detective Misty Carausu connected the dots between the evidence they found in Muller’s home and Quinn and Huskins’ case, and alerted Vallejo PD.
A year later, NPR reported that Muller plead guilty to the kidnapping and agreed to a maximum term of 40 years in prison — which he received in full.
Both Huskins and Quinn made statements in court, with Quinn addressing Muller directly. Per San Francisco Gate, Quinn told Muller, “You strategically destroyed our lives. I cannot and will not ever be the same. My family will not ever be the same.” In court, Huskins spoke about her two-day abduction, during which Muller raped her twice, saying, “I knew this was probably it for me. My life was coming to an end and I made peace with that.”
Huskins also spoke about the havoc caused by the harsh accusations from the police. “Within an hour of being released, I was a suspect accused of making this up. I lost my job and my health insurance at a time when I most needed care,” she said.
Muller responded to the statements, saying, “There’s nothing I can say. I’m sick with shame that my actions have brought such devastation. I hope my imprisonment can bring closure to Aaron and Denise and I’m prepared for any sentence the court imposes.”
As stated at the end of American Nightmare, Muller was sentenced to 40 years in prison on charged related to rape, kidnapping, and robbery. He was not charged for his other documented crimes or “peeping Tom” incidents.
Additional state charges were made against Muller in 2018, to which he plead not guilty. Proceedings were put on hold when Muller was admitted to a mental facility until he was deemed mentally competent, per CBS News. Once sentencing continued, Muller received an additional 31 years to be served congruently with his original sentence.
Huskins reacted to the news on Instagram: “That means he will have no additional time added to his sentence. Although this is not the end result we had originally sought out, this is the best decision for all parties involved. We are in a place where it is time to move forward with our lives and leave these court cases behind. I hope all involved can find some level of peace moving forward.”
Huskins and Quinn filed a lawsuit against the Vallejo Police Department for defamation, which was settled in 2018 and saw the city compensating them with $2.5 million.
American Nightmare is currently streaming on Netflix.