Christopher Hubbart has spent the majority of the past 50 years in prison, and on the four occasions when he was granted conditional release he ultimately found himself back in custody after being accused of sexually assaulting women.
A California man who raped over 50 women according to authorities is set to be released from custody despite an extensive history of violating the conditions of his release.
Christopher Hubbart, 73, who came to be known as the "Pillowcase Rapist," was convicted of rape and various other sex crimes in 1973, 1982 and 1990. He earned that nickname because he often used a pillowcase to muffle his victims' screams.
Hubbart has spent the majority of the past 50 years in prison, and on the four occasions when he was granted conditional release he ultimately found himself back in custody after being accused of sexually assaulting women.
Now, he is set to be released again from the California Department of State Hospitals, and a hearing to determine where he will be housed is scheduled for Oct. 1. It is a hearing that has become contentious as both Los Angeles and Santa Clara County officials fight over who would be responsible for housing the serial rapist.
Hubbard is also being released despite having violated the conditions of past releases, which is why the Los Angeles County District Attorney objected to his release back in 2013.
Inside Edition Digital obtained a petition for writ of mandate filed by the LACDA at that time, which provides a timeline of Hubbart's convictions:
- July 1973 - A grand jury indicts Hubbart on 21 counts. Hubbart pleads guilty to one count of burglary, one count of rape and three counts of sodomy. He is committed to a state hospital for a period of nine years after the court determines him to be a mentally disordered sex offender (MDSO).
- November 1979 - Hubbart is released two years early from the state hospital. Over the next two years, he allegedly commits a variety of crimes including rape, sodomy and forced oral copulation with 26 victims, according to authorities.
- November 1981 - Hubbart returns to a state hospital after admitting that he "was losing control."
- March 1982- Police arrest Huppart on 23 counts of rape for his actions during his release from custody.
- August 1982 - Huppart is sentenced to 16 years in state prison after being convicted of one count of rape, one count of oral copulation, six counts of false imprisonment, and six counts of burglary.
- April 1990 - Huppart is paroled after serving less than eight years in prison.
- June 1990 - Huppart has his parole revoked after he sexually assaults one woman and attempts to sexually assault a second woman.
- August 1990 - Huppart is sentenced to five years in prison.
- January 1993 - Huppart is released on supervised parole.
- March 1993 - Huppart returns to custody because he again felt he was losing control.
- January 1996 - While in custody, Huppart is deemed a sexually violent predator after a new law is passed in the state.
In 2014, Hubbart was once again released and housed in Antelope Valley in Los Angeles County. He then found himself back in custody once again after violating the conditions of his release.
It is once again being suggested that Hubbart be housed in Antelope Valley after he is released next month, a decision that has drawn the ire of both the local mayor and Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
“Continuing to release sexually violent predators into underserved communities like the Antelope Valley is both irresponsible and unjust,” Gascón said in a statement. “We must demand more from our judicial system, ensuring decisions serve the best interests of our communities while exploring alternative locations for these placements.”
He continued: "We must demand more from our judicial system, ensuring decisions serve the best interests of our communities while exploring alternative locations for these placements."
Mayor Austin Bishop of Palmdale also spoke out about this decision.
"Our greater Antelope Valley community has been through this before with rapist Hubbart. The only place this dangerous criminal belongs is in confinement. Both the City and myself personally will be submitting comments objecting to his release and his placement in Pearblossom," said Bishop. "We need to protect our community. Hubbart’s mere presence will haunt and strike fear in many women."
Both Bishop and Gascón say they want Hubbart to be kept in custody, which is a possibility under the sexually violent predator act.
Hubbart has been in the custody of the Department of State Hospitals since 2015.
