Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘American Nightmare’ delving deep into the infamous 2015 tale of Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn’s home invasion turned abduction, we honestly get a docu-series unlike any other. That’s because it comprises not just archival audio-video footage but also exclusive interviews to really shine a light upon the way this young couple was falsely accused of staging their entire ordeal. Amongst those to not believe them while also being explicitly mentioned in this original was actually Lieutenant Kenny Park.
Who is Kenny Park?
Although it’s unclear when Kenny first developed a passion for law enforcement and public relations or kickstarted his career in the force, we do know he was thriving by the time 2015 rolled around. After all, following years of hard work as well as perseverance while serving in different units, he’d proudly earned the title of Lieutenant in the Public Information Office of the Vallejo Police Department. He was thus essentially the point of contact for media personnel plus this institute’s spokesperson, meaning he was the one to announce Denise and Aaron’s case to the world on March 23, 2015.
29-year-old local Denise was actually feared dead at this point, with her boyfriend Aaron being the primary suspect, yet Kenny obviously didn’t make these particular investigative details known. He only announced she’d gone missing from the beau’s home in an apparent burglary gone wrong since she wasn’t even their intended target, per Aaron’s claims of what’d transpired hours prior. However, his tone shifted when she resurfaced in Huntington Beach two days later — he accused them of faking everything, especially as the Chief of Police had allegedly told him to “burn that b***h.”
On March 25, 2015, Kenny told reporters: “The statement that Mr. Quinn provided was such an incredible story, we initially had a hard time believing it. Upon further investigation, we were not able to substantiate any of the things he was saying.” He then added, without Vallejo officials even having spoken to Denise, “Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins have plundered valuable resources away from our community and has taken the focus away from the true victims… while instilling fear among our community members. If anything, it is Mr. Quinn and Ms. Huskins that owe this community an apology.”
Therefore, California was left shaken to its core when the truth finally came to light roughly three months later in June — Denise had in fact been abducted as well as assaulted by Matthew Muller. He’d been arrested for an unrelated yet eerily similar attempted kidnapping/rape in the Dublin area, through which local officials were able to positively identify him as this couple’s perpetrator too. However, it wasn’t until years later that a new Police Chief issued a formal apology to the duo, while the City of Vallejo also settled a defamation lawsuit filed by them out of court for $2.5 million.
Where is Kenny Park Now?
From what we can tell, Kenny was never displaced for his particular actions in connection to this horrific matter, and he has since even parted ways from the Vallejo Police Department for good. It was on December 30, 2020, that he said his goodbye — it’s still unclear whether he retired or was fired owing to some misconduct; a department spokesman also declined to confirm the nature of his departure as it’s considered private information. Coming to this former Lieutenant’s current standing, unfortunately, we don’t know much regarding his personal or professional experiences since 2020 because he now prefers to remain well away from the limelight to lead a quiet life.
Read More: Andrew Bidou: Where is Former Vallejo Police Chief Now?
