A convicted serial rapist, who authorities claim has confessed to sexually assaulting and raping approximately 40 women, is set to be released in Los Angeles County. This decision comes despite objections from the county’s prosecutor and comes years after a previous release that sparked outrage within the community.
Christopher Hubbart, now 63 years old, has a long and disturbing history of committing sexual crimes. He has been convicted three times, in 1973, 1983, and 1990, for a series of rapes and other related offenses in LA and Santa Clara counties. Prosecutors have given him the chilling nickname “the pillowcase rapist” due to his use of a pillowcase to silence the cries of his victims. The legal battles surrounding his convictions have resulted in Hubbart being repeatedly transferred between state mental hospitals and prisons for the past five decades.
In 2014, he regained his freedom and relocated to a community in LA County’s Antelope Valley, which happens to be the same area he is currently slated to settle in. After being granted conditional release by a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge in March 2023, the Bay Area court has officially declared that LA County is his permanent residence and where he can lawfully reside after his release.
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LA County District Attorney George Gascón criticized the decision on Wednesday, when he announced the release.
Los Angeles District Attorney, George Gascón, expressed his concerns about the release of sexually violent predators in underserved communities like the Antelope Valley. He strongly criticized this action, deeming it both irresponsible and unjust.
Later on Wednesday, community hearings will take place, providing an opportunity for individuals to express their concerns, as stated by the prosecutor.
“I am absolutely appalled by this,” Gascón expressed in an interview. This is the third instance in the past three years of external courts transferring sexually violent predators to LA County, particularly in the Antelope Valley.
“We have opposed this in the past, and we will oppose it again,” he stated firmly. “From what we can gather, Mr. Hubbart does not have any connections to LA County.”
Gascón expressed his discontent, stating that he does not consider this situation to be fair.
LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger recently called on urged residents of the High Desert neighborhood, where Hubbart is being released, to express their concerns and speak out.
“I fully support the community’s demand for the Los Angeles Superior Court and the Department of State Hospitals to relocate the facility to a different area. It is crucial that we prioritize the safety and well-being of our rural communities in the Antelope Valley and prevent them from becoming attractive destinations for sexually violent predators. This is an absolutely unacceptable situation,” stated Barger on Wednesday.
Hubbart grew up in LA County and has also resided in different areas of California throughout his life.
Convictions going back to the 1970s
According to authorities, Hubbart has confessed to sexually assaulting approximately 40 women from 1971 to 1982.
In the early 1970s, after his initial conviction in Los Angeles, he was labeled as a “mentally disordered sex offender” by the court and subsequently placed in Atascadero State Hospital. However, doctors released him in 1979, as they concluded that he no longer posed a danger to society. Shockingly, court documents reveal that he went on to commit rape against fifteen more women in the San Francisco Bay Area within the following two years.
He faced imprisonment for a second time in 1983. However, he was granted parole in 1990, only to be imprisoned once again due to a subsequent conviction for a sex crime. His second prison sentence lasted until 1996.
In 2000, he was committed to the Department of State Hospitals by Santa Clara County prosecutors under the Sexually Violent Predator Act, a law enacted in 1996 to rehabilitate sex offenders and facilitate their reintegration into communities.
In 2014, he left Coalinga State Hospital and moved to a home in the Antelope Valley, which is also where he will be residing soon. Like his current release, the decision of the court was met with criticism from the county’s prosecutor, as well as concerns expressed by the residents of the LA County community and local politicians.
“He didn’t just make a mistake once,” emphasized LA County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, expressing his concerns when a judge ruled in 2013 that Hubbart could potentially reside in Lake Los Angeles.
Antonovich expressed his outrage at the repeated occurrences, emphasizing that it is unacceptable for him to be placed in Lake Los Angeles, Claremont, or any other areas where there are children.
On July 9, 2014, in the afternoon, Hubbart arrived at a residence near Palmdale. Back then, a community organization called the Ladies of Lake LA vehemently opposed his relocation to the area. Cheryl Holbrook, one of the group members, expressed her worry, drawing from her own experience as a survivor.
“It’s absolutely terrifying,” expressed Holbrook with a shudder. “The moment we spotted him approaching, I could feel my whole body trembling. I had an overwhelming urge to burst into tears. I just know deep down that he will commit another crime, harm someone once more, and tragically claim another life.”
After being released, Hubbart had to comply with certain conditions, including ongoing treatment, following a curfew, undergoing random searches, and wearing a GPS ankle bracelet. However, just a year later, law enforcement officials accused him of violating the terms of his release when his ankle monitor’s battery ran low.
Santa Clara County Judge Richard Loftus has determined that Hubbart is not a “a danger to the health and safety of others.” In his ruling, the judge emphasized that Hubbart has not had any further battery problems or violated any other conditions of his release.
By 2017, Hubbart found himself back in a state mental hospital after violating the terms of his release.
On Wednesday, Gascón made an announcement stating that Hubbart would be released to LA County. The California Department of State Hospitals suggested housing him in a secluded community near Devil’s Punchbowl, a state park located approximately 16 miles from Palmdale.
The Hollywood Courthouse will host a hearing on October 1 to determine his placement, according to prosecutors.
Marissa Wenzke, an accomplished journalist residing in Los Angeles, holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Santa Barbara. Additionally, she is a distinguished graduate of Columbia Journalism School.
