Suspect In Bizarre Vallejo Kidnapping Talks To KPIX 5 In Jailhouse Interview
DUBLIN (CBS SF) -- In a jailhouse interview with KPIX 5, Harvard-educated attorney and former Marine Matthew Muller didn't deny allegations he's the mastermind behind the kidnapping of Denise Huskins, a bizarre case police initially called a hoax.
KPIX 5's Juliette Goodrich interviewed Muller at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on Friday. Cameras were not allowed for the interview, and neither was pen or paper. Goodrich's account came from notes she wrote immediately after the interview.
Goodrich said Muller seemed to be a very intelligent person, quite willing to talk, but he also made clear that certain things would be off the record and for background only.
Muller told Goodrich, "I want to focus on the victims...I do feel very bad for Denise and other victims out there."
Goodrich asked Muller what he thought when police said Huskins and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn made the kidnapping story up. He put his head down and quietly said, "that should never have happened to her."
Muller also told Goodrich that he suffers from bipolar disorder, ranging from being hyper-focused, a high achiever and extremely productive to suicidal tendencies, paranoia, and psychosis.
He said, "Bipolar disorder has many different stages and levels. I don't want anyone to fear someone who has depression or mental illness. Mine is extreme."
Muller also told Goodrich he was relieved to be in jail and in a controlled environment. He said if he were to have a breakdown, nothing bad would happen to him or anyone else.
As the bizarre case first unfolded Huskins' attorney Douglas Rappaport showed KPIX 5 a 15-page e-mail from the kidnapper, an e-mail demanding that police give Huskins a full and unequivocal apology. It also had details about the sophisticated criminal operation.
An affidavit alleges Huskins and Quinn were forced to wear swim goggles with tape over them and that they were drugged and restrained with zip ties. The FBI seized drones, remote controls and video cameras in Muller's storage unit in Vallejo.
In the interview with KPIX 5, Muller refused to get into specifics, but he said Huskins deserves an apology for what she has endured.
"I suffer from extreme paranoia and psychosis...it can blur the lines between reality and fantasy in my mind," he said.
