Latest news with #Nyquil
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘American Nightmare' kidnapper sentenced for South Bay crimes
(KRON) — A judge sentenced a notorious kidnapper on Friday to serve life-in-prison for committing home invasion sexual assaults in Mountain View and Palo Alto. Matthew Muller, 48, was the subject of 'American Nightmare,' a Netflix documentary series that chronicles his 2015 kidnapping of Denise Huskins in Vallejo. He recently pleaded guilty to two 2009 South Bay home invasions and sexually assaulting young women. 'I am today so thankful for the bravery of these women,' District Attorney Jeff Rosen said Friday. 'We marvel at the growing power of forensics, the never-say-die determination of investigators and prosecutors. But this case is about victims who never gave up.' In the early hours of Sept. 29, 2009, Muller broke into a woman's Mountain View home, attacked her, tied her up, made her drink a concoction of medications, and said he was going to rape her. After the victim, in her 30s, persuaded him against it, he suggested the victim get a dog for home security, then fled. On Oct. 18, 2009, Muller broke into a Palo Alto home, bound and gagged a woman in her 30s and made her drink Nyquil. He then began to assault her, before being persuaded to stop. Muller gave the victim crime prevention advice, then fled. Both cases went unsolved until 'American Nightmare' aired. The documentary exposed striking similarities between what happened to Huskins, and what happened to victims in the South Bay six years prior. Denise Huskins helped find more victims of 'American Nightmare' kidnapper Matthew Muller On March 23, 2015, Muller broke into a Vallejo home. He drugged and tied up Huskins and her boyfriend. He then kidnapped Huskins, brought her to a cabin in South Lake Tahoe, and raped her. Two days later, Muller drove his victim to Southern California and released her. Muller was arrested in June 2015 for both the Vallejo kidnapping and a violent 2015 Dublin home invasion. He has remained in custody ever since. Muller pleaded guilty in 2016 to the kidnapping and in 2022 to the sexual assaults of Huskins. As part of the renewed investigation, Muller is also facing kidnapping for ransom charges in Contra Costa County. At a news conference held earlier this year, Huskins told reporters, 'This man had all the markers of a serial predator. It's something he crafted and perfected over a long period of time.' Matthew Muller's prison letters detail confessions Muller was a Marine who graduated from Harvard University and worked as a lawyer in California. Investigators described him as 'exceptionally intelligent' and 'exceptionally well educated.' Muller meticulously planned out his crimes and practiced before 'terrorizing' victims who were woken up in the middle of the night by a home intruder, according to prosecutors. In a series of 2024 prison letters, 'Muller discussed the Mountain View crime. The idea to raid a home and rape a woman developed in August or September 2009 and he was in a manic state. He began taking late night walks and began watching people in their homes. (Muller) saw a woman undressing in a home and (this) was his first experience with voyeurism,' court documents state. Before Friday, the notorious kidnapper could have possibly gained freedom from prison years down the road after completing his previous 40-year sentence. The new life sentence, which was handed down by a Santa Clara County judge on Friday, ensures that he will never walk free. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
28-03-2025
- CBS News
"American Nightmare" kidnapper Matthew Muller gets 2 life sentences in South Bay home invasions
Matthew Muller, who is serving a 40-year sentence for the kidnapping of Denise Huskins, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms Friday by a Santa Clara County judge in connection with a pair of 2009 home invasions in the South Bay. A release from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office Thursday morning confirmed the sentencing. Muller's sentencing hearing was held in Santa Clara County Superior Court at 8:30 a.m., according to court records. "I am today so thankful for the bravery of these women," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in the release. "We marvel at the growing power of forensics, the never-say-die determination of investigators and prosecutors. But this case is about victims who never gave up." Muller pled guilty in January to the charges stemming from the home invasions in Mountain View and Palo Alto 15 years ago. In both cases, he was suspected of medicating and then sexually assaulting the female victims involved. In the Mountain View case, the District Attorney said Muller broke into the female victim's home in the early hours of Sept. 29, 2009. Muller attacked her, tied her up, made her drink a concoction of medications, and told he was going to rape her. The victim persuaded Muller against it, after which he suggested the victim get a dog before fleeing the scene. The following month on Oct. 18, 2009, he broke into a Palo Alto home, where the DA's office said he bound and gagged a woman in her 30s and forced her to drink Nyquil. Muller began to assault her, before again being persuaded to stop by the victim. In that case, Muller provided the woman with crime prevention advice before he fled the home. Muller, a Sacramento-area native, was convicted in the Vallejo kidnapping of Huskins in 2015. He is currently serving his sentence in Arizona for rape and false imprisonment in what police initially thought was a hoax. The Netflix documentary "American Nightmare" detailed the crime and investigation, rekindling interest in the case last year. The documentary led to criticism of Vallejo police for their handling of the kidnapping. In December, the Santa Clara County district attorney brought forth new charges , claiming Muller broke into the homes of women in Mountain View and Palo Alto 15 years ago and was suspected of medicating and then sexually assaulting both women. Muller appeared in court on January 17, 2025, and pled guilty to the new charges. In February, the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office announced they filed charges against Muller for a previously unreported San Ramon-area kidnapping for ransom in 2015. That crime allegedly happened two weeks after Muller released Huskins, but the DA's office said it was so traumatic the family never reported it – fearing he, or other attackers, would come back. In an exclusive interview with CBS News California earlier this year, Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn detailed the timeline of Muller's cold-case crimes, which they helped solve. The survivors detailed how it took a decade, the Netflix documentary, a small-town police chief, and a rural district attorney to get anyone to listen.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Measure that would expand the definition of a DUI to ‘any impairing substance' draws concerns
GOP state Sen. Tom Wright during committee meeting on March 5, 2025. (Screenshot from the Florida Channel) A proposal to strengthen penalties for the impaired driving of an automobile or boat passed in a Senate committee on Wednesday, but only after concerns about the definition of the phrase 'any impairing substance' led to two Democrats dissenting. Existing Florida law says that a person is guilty of a DUI (Driving Under the Influence) if they are under the influence of alcohol, a chemical substance, or a controlled substance. But a measure (CS 138) sponsored by east central Florida Republican Tom Wright would expand that definition to include 'or any impairing substance.' During a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice on Wednesday, Sen. Wright his bill was response to a 'request by the judicial system' to include anything that would impair a driver, including 'medicines that you overdosed on, or it be some sort of powder or something that you use.' 'In other words, we're trying to cover all the bases of anything like a drug that might be used and has the individual impaired and not able to drive correctly,' he said. That drew an objection from Aaron Wayt, a Tallahassee attorney representing the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He said some medications can cause an unexpected negative reaction and that it would be unfair to criminalize people who had no intent to do anything unlawful. Wayt wanted to know how a law enforcement officer could test someone they consider impaired. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement does not now test for substances such as Nyquil, he noted, an over-the-counter medication used to treat nighttime symptoms of the common cold and flu. Now, a first refusal to submit to a breathalyzer test can result in a one-year license suspension but is not considered a crime. Under the proposed legislation, a first refusal could result in a second-degree misdemeanor charge. A second refusal could result in a first-degree misdemeanor, carrying more fines and possible jail time. South Florida Democratic Sen. Tina Polsky asked Wayt if the way the bill is written could include someone driving and acting 'a little strange' while using a prescription drug or Nyquil. He said he believed 'yes,' because of the phrase 'any impairing substance.' Spring Hill Republican Sen. Blaise Ingoglia suggested the all-encompassing phase 'any impairing substance' could help law enforcement cite drivers for ingesting designer drugs that don't fit the exact definition of say, cocaine. Wayt agreed the change would make for better public policy, but only if language is amended to include a determination the driver knew the substance could impair them. Polksy and Tampa Bay area Democratic Sen. Darryl Rouson ended up opposing the measure. 'This catch-all is just too broad and I'm going to vote against it,' Polsky said. 'I'm certainly not pro-DUI. I don't want it to be construed that way. I don't know what the current law is missing … it's just too far.' Wright insisted that, as 'good human beings, we are well aware when we are not able to drive a car. Or when we're drinking Nyquil by the gallon. Or taking medicines that we shouldn't have taken. Or smoking too much. Or snorting too much. You name it — we know when we are impaired, and we should make the decision not to drive on the state roads.' He said he was inspired to sponsor the legislation after watching an Orlando television news report about how a mother and her children were killed in an auto accident by a drunk driver who had 16 previous DUIs. 'Don't we need to do something about that?' he asked. 'Don't we need to defend the families that are on the streets?' The measure passed the committee, 6-2. It now has just one more committee before going to the floor of the Senate. A companion bill (HB 687) has been filed in the House by St. Augustine Republican Kim Kendall. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
Trial delayed for man facing negligent homicide in Fort Smith teen's death
FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — An Alma man accused of negligent homicide in connection with a Fort Smith teen's death has had his trial delayed because of pending crime lab results, according to court documents. Craig Asplund, 61, was arrested on Oct. 11, 2024, for a DWI charge. His charges were later upgraded to include a negligent homicide charge. A probable cause affidavit said Asplund was driving near the intersection of Kelley Highway and North 44th Street in Fort Smith. As he turned right onto Kelley Highway, he reportedly hit a 13-year-old pedestrian who was crossing the road in front of Asplund's truck. Man faces new charge after teen killed on Kelley Highway Officers with the Fort Smith Police Department responded to the incident and found Asplund was 'tense, lethargic, and sleepy, almost falling asleep during portions of their contact with him.' The affidavit said Asplund failed multiple field sobriety tests at the scene. Asplund told authorities that he took Nyquil, ketorolac, Tylenol and melatonin the night before the alleged incident. A drug recognition expert was at the scene and determined Asplund was under the influence of a narcotic analgesic, the affidavit said. Urine and blood samples were taken from Asplund and taken to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. His trial date, originally set for March 17, was delayed because of pending crime lab results. The new trial date has been set for May 19. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
