Outrage grows as 'pillowcase rapist' set for release in Los Angeles County
Angry Los Angeles residents say they vow to “scream and fight” until convicted “pillowcase rapist” Christopher Hubbert is either removed from the community or sent back to prison.
Hubbert, who admitted to raping and sexually assaulting about 40 women in California, is scheduled to be released next month in the small unincorporated city of Juniper Hills, about an hour north of Los Angeles, after a judge granted him a “conditional release.”
A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge last year ruled Hubbard fit to be released under certain conditions and ordered the State Hospital Authority to find him housing.
The program would allow Hubbert to be released into the area where he committed his crimes, in this case the Antelope Valley area.
Pillowcase Rapist Christopher Hubbard could be released as soon as next month to the Antelope Valley section of Los Angeles County.
Shocked residents now say they plan to chase the convicted rapist out of their neighborhood.
“You can't change someone like that,” resident Cheryl Holbrook said.
“He needs to be dumped in the middle of the desert, over 100 miles from anyone, because he's going to rape her again.”
“The only thing that can stop him is total isolation.”
Hubbard's long history of predatory behavior dates back to the early 1970s, when prosecutors say he would cover the women's faces with pillows while raping and assaulting them.
In 1972, he was convicted of sexual assaults in the Pomona and San Gabriel Valleys and sent to a state hospital.
He was eventually released in 1979, but was arrested again for an assault in the Bay Area and sent to prison for eight years, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Two months after his release, he was detained again after sexually assaulting a woman from behind while she was jogging, covering her mouth and grabbing her breasts, according to court records.
He was paroled in 1990, but was arrested again for another assault and sentenced to prison until 1996.
Antelope Valley resident Cheryl Holbrook said she plans to protest having a convicted rapist living in her community.
Santa Clara prosecutors have asked the judge to commit Hubbard to a state psychiatric hospital under California's new sexually violent predator law before he is released.
A 1996 law allowed states to house mentally ill, violent sex offenders who were at risk of reoffending in state hospitals.
Hubbard is the first person to be detained under the new law, according to the Los Angeles Times.
But in 2014, Hubbard was deemed eligible for release and ordered to remain in his small desert home in Lake Los Angeles, just outside Palmdale.
He was required to attend therapy sessions twice a week and was closely monitored through the Liberty Conditional Release Program.
But residents of a small desert community were determined to rid their town of a convicted rapist.
The Los Angeles lakefront home where Hubbard lived during his final release in 2014.
Holbook and others started a group called Ladies of Lake LA and led a fight to let local politicians know about their plight, attending public hearings and even camping out on the property next to Hubbert's dilapidated house.
Holbrook said she and other neighbors had been yelling at Hubbard over a bullhorn for weeks.
They allegedly held up signs demanding that people leave the area and even pressured the water company to shut off water to their homes.
Now the group is working again to stop Hubbard from taking up residence in nearby Juniper Hills.
“The last time he lived here we were determined to fight,” Holbrook said, “and we're going to fight again.”
“We're going to find out where he lives and go outside every night and yell on a bullhorn to let him know he's not welcome here.”
A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 1, when a judge will decide exactly where Hubbert should live.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said he opposed Hubbard's conditional release.
Investigators said the perpetrator targeted women in their late 20s and 30s, sometimes looking for children's toys because mothers are more likely to cooperate with their children's safety.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said he would oppose Hubbard's release.
“It is irresponsible and unjust to continue sending sexually violent predators to disadvantaged communities like the Antelope Valley,” Governor Gascón said in a statement.
“The repeated placement of these individuals in the same communities demonstrates a clear disregard for the safety and well-being of residents.”
“Our deputy district attorneys will continue to oppose Mr. Hubbert's placement in the Antelope Valley.”
“We must demand more from our justice system and ensure that decisions are made in the best interests of the community as we explore alternative locations for these detention sites.”
Antelope Valley residents planned to gather at Juniper Hill Community Center Wednesday night to voice their concerns.
“We're going to continue to fight this because he doesn't belong in this community,” Holbook said.
