A judge in Santa Clara County began hearing arguments Monday on whether to revoke the conditional release of a serial rapist who lived in a home near Palmdale for about two years before being taken back into custody for allegedly violating the terms of his release.
The hearing in Santa Clara County for Christopher Hubbart, the so-called "Pillowcase Rapist," is expected to last two days. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Richard Loftus must decide whether to recommit Hubbart to Coalinga State Hospital for at least one year.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Hubbart violated several terms of his conditional release, including failing five polygraph tests. Hubbart was released from Coalinga State Hospital in July 2014 and was assigned by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Gilbert Brown to live at a Palmdale area home in the 20300 block of East Avenue R, despite outcry from residents and area elected officials.
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. Residents of the area where Hubbart was sent to live vehemently opposed the decision, as did then-Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who represented the area.
The District Attorney's Office tried unsuccessfully in 2015 to have Hubbart's release revoked, with District Attorney Jackie Lacey saying "this violent predator continues to pose a serious danger to our community."
A judge, however, rejected the request. Hubbart was taken into custody last Aug. 9, but authorities did not publicly reveal why. Hubbart was sent to Atascadero State Hospital in 1972 after the court deemed him a "mentally disordered sex offender."
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.
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As a condition of his release, Hubbart was required to wear an ankle monitor, attend regular therapy sessions and make quarterly reports to a judge. He was monitored by security guards working for a state contractor, who were said to maintain a 24-hour watch.
