Vallejo Couple To Face Attacker At New Kidnapping, Rape Trial In 'Gone Girl' Case
(CBS SF) -- The nightmare is still not over for a Vallejo woman kidnapped and raped in a case initially called a hoax by police.
Now the victim, Denise Huskins, and her fiancé Aaron Quinn have been ordered back to court to face questioning from her attacker.
After pleading guilty to kidnapping in federal court, the Solano County district attorney is now charging Matthew Muller with six new counts including kidnap for ransom, rape, and false imprisonment for the break-in, and attack on Huskins and Quinn in his Vallejo home in 2015.
Once police cast doubt on the allegations, the case was incorrectly dubbed the 'Gone Girl' kidnapping after a movie and book which tells of a woman's sudden disappearance and the suspicion centering on her husband. Police later apologized and the city of Vallejo settled a lawsuit by the couple for $2.5 million.
Muller – who may be forced to wear shackles in the courtroom - has been granted the right to act as his own attorney and will have the opportunity to question Huskins and Quinn about the heinous crime he is already convicted of committing against them.
Quinn's attorney, Dan Russo, said believes Muller, a Harvard-educated former lawyer, is relishing the opportunity.
"This is pretty freakish stuff," said Russo. "This is his golden opportunity to inflict more injury on people but to also draw attention to himself."
As his own attorney, Muller will also be granted access to prosecutors evidence-including two videos he allegedly recorded showing Huskins' rapes.
Russo says Huskins and Quinn are prepared for the showdown in court, but it will not be easy.
"I think it's going to be a terrible experience for them. How can it not be a terrible experience for them?" said Russo.
Muller is already serving a 40-year sentence after pleading guilty in 2016 to federal kidnapping charges. If convicted on the new charges, he could be sentence to life in prison.
Meanwhile, the timing of the case couldn't come at a more stressful for Huskins and Quinn. This preliminary hearing court date is set for Tuesday, four days before their wedding.