"Pillowcase Rapist" Christopher Hubbart Being Released?

Thanks to Nancy B for bringing this unbelievable story to light in one of her recent comments. The women of California need to know this man's face - and be aware that he may soon be wandering the streets of their neighborhood. I'm still at a loss for words that Santa Clara Judge Gilbert Brown granted the " conditional release" of Christopher Hubbart - a man who admitted to violently raping nearly 40 women throughout the state of California.  Those are the rapes he admitted to, who knows the real number?  Why in God's name would any Judge, any court in the United States of America release an inmate with this type of predatory background?

Christopher Hubbart

Here's some background on Hubbart. Beginning in 1968, he began raping women in San Bernardino and Los Angeles Counties.  In the year 1972 alone, he reportedly raped 25 or 26 women.  Yet in 1983, he was paroled - and on the same day of his release, he raped another woman.  The SAME DAY of his release he found his next victim. He went on to rape 9 more woman in San Jose before being caught and returned to custody.  Do you think at that point he ever should have been released? Is there any question this man should have been locked up for life? He was released AGAIN in 1990, and shortly thereafter he attacked a woman who was jogging and was returned to custody. Hubbart spent time at Atascadero State Hospital as a "mentally disordered offender". That's a polite way to put it. He's in another state hospital now, Coalinga State Hospital.

Dubbed "The Pillowcase Rapist", Hubbart terrorized women in their own homes by covering their heads with pillowcases in an attempt to drown out their screams for help.  A true predator, he would stalk neighborhoods, looking for telltale clues that the man of the house was gone - like looking into open garages for cars, and looking for signs of children. He believed women with children would be less likely to fight him in order to keep their children safe. What a monster. He would bind them, cover their faces and assault them. 

Los Angeles District Attorney Jacky Lacey says her office is doing everything they can to challenge the release of Hubbart. State law requires that inmates conditionally released must be placed back in the community they lived in prior to their incarceration, unless circumstances require placement elsewhere. His last known residence was in Claremont, CA. How can this happen? This man has offended, re offended and re offended again - yet the state thinks it's time to release him into a community?  Lacey petitioned the state Supreme Court in July to block the release, but was unsuccessful. The Huffington Post reported that Lacey said "we have aggressively pursued and exhausted all legal avenues to stop the release of sexually violent predator Christopher Hubbart to Los Angeles County". 

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said "releasing this individual into the county where many of the victims and their families live is unreasonable and unfair". I say releasing him ANYWHERE is unreasonable and unfair. He should be locked up for life. Efforts are reportedly under way to notify his victims. Hubbarts case prompted the passage of the Sexually Violent Predators Act, which allows authorities to keep offenders like Hubbart in custody until officials deem them safe. 

After hearing from mental health professionals in April, a Santa Clara County judge ruled 62 year old Hubbart eligible for release, and ordered him to be relocated back to Los Angeles County. A San Jose appeals court and state Supreme Court upheld the ruling, over the protests of DA Lacey. Is there anything that we, as concerned citizens do to block the release? If this man committed these sex crimes today, he would undoubtedly face life in prison. This is completely unacceptable, and seems to put an entire community in harms way.  If history tells us anything about Hubbart, he'll be stalking another neighborhood looking for another victim - ankle bracelet, GPS or whatever they will be using to monitor him will not be enough.

I'm outraged.  Nancy B, you were SO right about this story - truly outrageous and outright frightening. Thank you so much for bringing this to light.  I'm looking for some type of petition that we can all sign. If you know of one, please post the location. It's frightening to think of what this man is capable of and how many times he's been released only to commit more rapes. What makes these mental health officials believe he's reformed? Would they be comfortable with Hubbart being released into their neighborhoods?  How about Judge Gilbert Brown? How would he like to be Hubbarts' neighbor?