Outrage grows as 'Pillowcase Rapist' is set to be released into LA County

Angry Los Angeles residents said they vow to 'scream and fight' until convicted 'Pillowcase Rapist' Christopher Hubbart is pushed out of their community or back in prison. 

Hubbart, who admitted to raping and sexually assaulting about 40 women in California, is scheduled to be released next month in the small unincorporated town of Juniper Hills - about an hour north of LA - after a judge granted him 'conditional release'.

A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge last year deemed Hubbart was suitable to be released under certain conditions and ordered the Department of State Hospitals to the search for housing.

Under the program, Hubbart will be released back to the area where he committed the crimes, which in this case would be in the Antelope Valley area. 

Now shocked residents say they plan to drive the convicted rapist out of their neighborhood. 

'There is no changing a person like that,' said resident Cheryl Holbrook.

'He needs to be put out in the middle of the desert and 100 miles or more away from anyone because he will rape again. 

'The only thing that might stop him is complete isolation.'

Hubbart's long history of predatory behavior stems as far back as the early 1970s. As he raped and assaulted the women, he would use a pillow to cover their faces, according to prosecutors.

In 1972, he was sent to a state hospital after he was convicted of sexual assaults in the Pomona and San Gabriel valleys. 

He was eventually released in 1979, but was arrested again for attacks in the Bay Area and sent to prison for eight years, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Two months after his release, he was back in custody after he sexually assaulted a jogger from behind and pressed his hand over her mouth and grabbed her breasts, according to court records.

He was paroled in 1990, but was arrested again for another attack. He was then sentenced to prison until 1996. 

Before he was to be released, Santa Clara prosecutors asked a judge to confine Hubbart to a state mental hospital under California’s new Sexually Violent Predator law. 

The 1996 law allowed the state to confine violent sex offenders in state hospitals if they have a mental disorder that makes them likely to reoffend. 

Hubbart was the first person held under the new law, according to the Los Angeles Times.

But in 2014, Hubbart was deemed eligible for release and was ordered to stay at a small desert home in Lake Los Angeles, just outside of Palmdale.

He was required to attend therapy sessions twice a week, wear an ankle monitor and was closely supervised by the Liberty Conditional Release Program. 

In 2016, Hubbart was taken back into custody for failing to abide by his release conditions. 

Now he is poised to be released back to the Antelope Valley area after a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge granted his conditional release on March 2023.

Officials with CA Department of State Hospitals and a management company called Liberty Healthcare were tasked to search for a home for the convicted rapist.

But residents in the Antelope Valley area said they are determined to keep Hubbart out of town permanently. 

In 2014, Holbook and others started a group called Ladies of Lake LA and led the fight to contact local politicians about their plight. They attended hearings and even went as far as setting up camp on a property next to the rundown house where Hubbart lived.

For weeks, Holbrook said she and other neighbors used bullhorns to yell at Hubbart. 

They posted signs demanding he leave the area, and even allegedly pressure the water company to stop delivering to the home.

The group is mobilizing their efforts again to stop Hubbart from taking up residence in Juniper Hills, which is about 18 miles south from his former home in Lake Los Angeles. 

'The last time he lived here, we were committed to fight it,' Holbrook said. 'We plan to do it again. 

'We are going to find out where he lives and going to be outside every night, yelling at him with bullhorns again to let him know that's he's not wanted here.' 

A hearing has been scheduled for October 1 where a judge will decide exactly where Hubbart should live.

Investigators said he targeted women in their late 20s and 30s and sometimes looked for children's toys because mothers would likely cooperate with him more for the safety of their kids. 

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said he was against Hubbart's release.

'Continuing to release sexually violent predators into underserved communities like the Antelope Valley is both irresponsible and unjust,' Gascón said in a statement. 

'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.'

Antelope Valley residents planned to gather Wednesday night at the Juniper Hill community center to voice their concerns. 

'We are going to continue to fight this because he doesn't belong in this community,' Holbook said.