The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office is seeking comments from the public for a hearing on the proposed release of a sexually violent predator into Southern California's Antelope Valley.
The development is the latest chapter in the saga of Christopher Hubbart, also known as the Pillowcase Rapist. Hubbart has a history of violent sex crimes against women with convictions in Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties in 1973, 1982 and 1990.
Last year, a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge deemed Hubbart suitable for conditional release and ordered the Department of State Hospitals to begin the search for housing in Los Angeles County. The department has recommended that Hubbart, whose release was opposed by the District Attorney's office, be placed in Juniper Hills, located south of Pearblossom, in the Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles. The responsibility of housing Hubbart falls to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, which will make the final decision as to where Hubbart is placed, according to the DA's office.
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County prosecutors will seek public comment on Hubbart's release and relocation to a community in the high desert north of Los Angeles through Sept. 17. Comments may be submitted to the District Attorney's Office using this email.
"Our Juniper Hills, Pearblossom, and the Antelope Valley residents at large have every right to voice their concerns about this predator's placement in their community," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes the Antelope Valley. "While I understand that the state performs a comprehensive study and assessment before proposing a site, nothing takes the place of the real-world perspectives that only community members can offer. I want to ensure my constituents are kept informed about this process and have every opportunity to weigh in on this decision."
A representative from the LA County District Attorney's Office will speak at Wednesday's Juniper Hills Town Council meeting to explain the Sexually Violent Predator Conditional Release program and provide more background information. The meeting will be held at the Juniper Hills Community Center.
A hearing on Hubbart's housing is scheduled for Oct. 1 at the Hollywood Courthouse. Details about a release date were not immediately available.
Hubbart has admitted to raping 40 women decades ago. He was sent to Atascadero State Hospital in 1972 after a court deemed him a "mentally disordered sex offender." The name "Pillowcase Rapist" was used to describe the attacker because he used a pillow to smother his victims' screams.
Seven years later, doctors said he posed no threat and released him. Over the next two years, he raped another 15 women in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to court documents. Hubbart was again imprisoned, then paroled in 1990.
After accosting a woman in Santa Clara County, he was sent back to prison and then to Coalinga State Hospital. Hubbart was designated a sexually violent predator in Santa Clara County in 1996.
His lawyers argued in 2014 that Hubbart's continuing detention violated his rights to due process, sparking a battle over where he should live. As a condition of his release into the northern LA County community of Palmdale, Hubbart was required to wear an ankle monitor and attend regular therapy sessions and make quarterly reports to a judge. Protesters gathered regularly outside the home in opposition to Hubbart's release in the community.
He was back in custody a few years later after a judge revoked his conditional release.
“Continuing to release sexually violent predators into underserved communities like the Antelope Valley is both irresponsible and unjust,” said District Attorney George Gascón. “Repeatedly placing these individuals in the same community shows a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of our residents. Our deputy district attorneys will persist in opposing Mr. Hubbart’s placement in the Antelope Valley. We must demand more from our judicial system, ensuring decisions serve the best interests of our communities while exploring alternative locations for these placements.”
