San Jose Judge To Reconsider Release Of 'Pillowcase Rapist'
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Prosecutors were seeking to revoke the release of a serial rapist whose residence in a rural neighborhood has upset a remote Southern California desert community.
Santa Clara County Judge Richard Loftus will consider Wednesday a request to lock up "Pillowcase Rapist" Christopher Hubbart in a state mental health hospital. Another judge released Hubbart from the hospital last year and approved his living in a community near Palmdale, California, in northeast Los Angeles County.
Hubbart, 64, is required to wear a monitoring device around his ankle, attend therapy, undergo polygraph exams and submit to random searches of his house. He also lives with an around-the-clock security guard.
Nonetheless, Hubbart's release prompted community protests, and local elected officials called for a revocation of his release. Local law enforcement officials say they are concerned with public safety. Many neighbors of Hubbart's post angry social media comments about his residency, and protesters turn up nearly every day outside Hubbart's property.
"I'm a rape survivor, and I don't feel safe with him in the community," neighbor Cheryl Holbrook said.
Several of Hubbart's neighbors were planning to travel 350 miles to attend the hearing in San Jose. A Los Angeles County prosecutor was expected to testify in favor of revoking Hubbart's release.
Hubbart has acknowledged raping and assaulting about 40 women between 1971 and 1982. Authorities place the number of victims closer to 100. He used a pillowcase to muffle the screams of some of his victims
When Hubbart's prison term ended in 1996, he was deemed a sexually violent predator and confined to a state mental hospital.
Doctors at the hospital recently concluded he was fit for release. Hubbart's most recent crimes occurred in Santa Clara County, but the Northern California judge ordered him released to Los Angeles County, where Hubbart was born and raised.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office declined to discuss its reason for seeking Hubbart's revocation. Hubbart's public defender didn't respond to email and phone requests for comment.
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