A man convicted for kidnapping a Vallejo woman for ransom was back in court on Monday.
He is currently serving time in federal prison and is now facing additional criminal charges stemming from the same incident.
Convicted kidnapper Matthew Muller is trying a new strategy. It is one that would put him side-by-side with the Solano County Public Defender in the case of the kidnapping for ransom, rape, burglary and false imprisonment of alleged victims Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn.
In 2016, Muller was convicted in federal court for kidnapping in the same case. The former Harvard Law School graduate recently abandoned the idea of solely representing himself against the state charges.
On Monday he made a new motion here at the Solano County courthouse in Vallejo.
“His motion was for co-counsel,” Solano County Chief Deputy District Attorney Sharon Henry said. “He wants to pretty much represent himself and also have the public defender represent him, which was denied.”
Although it was denied, Quinn’s legal representative Dan Russo talks about what he thinks is behind Muller’s co-counsel motion.
“I think what he really wants is advisory counsel, someone who can co-sign all of his moves, but he is constantly fronting out that he was sexually assaulted and that his mental health is deteriorating,” Russo said. “I think that is his attempt to manipulate the jail and the system.
Matthew Muller received a 40-year prison sentence for the 2015 kidnapping of Huskins from her Mare Island home in Vallejo. Vallejo police initially thought that Huskins and her boyfriend Quinn made the whole thing up.
It was a mistake that led to a civil claim costing Vallejo taxpayers over $2 million.
The couple later decided to pursue the additional criminal charges, and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office accepted the case.
“As in any criminal prosecution, we seek justice, so the hope is justice is done in this case,” Henry said.
The prosecution and the defense both filed motions to see discovery evidence obtained by the FBI in the federal case.
Muller next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 10.