Outrage grows as 'Pillowcase Rapist' to be released in Los Angeles County

Angry Los Angeles residents said they vow they will “scream and fight” until convicted “pillowcase rapist” Christopher Hubbard is removed from their community or put back in prison.

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

A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge ruled last year that Hubbart could be released under certain conditions and ordered the Department of State Hospitals to look for housing.

As part of this program, Hubbart is returned to the area where he committed the crimes, in this case the Antelope Valley area.

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

“You can’t change a person like that,” says local resident Cheryl Holbrook.

“He must be taken to the middle of the desert, 100 miles or more away from any people, because he will rape again.”

“The only thing that could stop him is complete isolation.”

Hubbart's long history of predatory behavior dates back to the early 1970s. While he raped and assaulted the women, he covered their faces with a pillow, according to prosecutors.

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

He was finally released in 1979, but was arrested again for attacks in the Bay Area and sentenced to eight years in prison, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Two months after his release, he was back in custody after sexually assaulting a jogger from behind, putting his hand over her mouth and grabbing her breasts, court records show.

He was released on parole in 1990, but was arrested again for another attack and was subsequently sentenced to prison, which he served until 1996.

Antelope Valley resident Cheryl Holbrook said she wanted to protest against the convicted rapist who won't settle in her community.

Before his release, Santa Clara prosecutors asked a judge to commit Hubbart to a state mental hospital under California's new sexual assault law.

The 1996 law allowed the state to commit violent sex offenders to state hospitals if they suffered from a mental disorder that caused them to reoffend.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Hubbart was the first person to be imprisoned under the new law.

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

He was required to attend therapy sessions twice a week and was closely monitored as part of the Liberty Conditional Release Program.

But the residents of the small desert neighborhood were determined to drive the convicted rapist out of the city.

The house on Lake Los Angeles where Hubbart lived during his last release in 2014

Holbook and others formed a group called Ladies of Lake LA and led the fight to bring their plight to the attention of local politicians, attending hearings and even setting up camp on a lot next to the dilapidated house where Hubbart lived.

Holbrook said she and other neighbors had been yelling at Hubbart through bullhorns for weeks.

They put up signs asking him to leave the area and reportedly even put pressure on the water company to stop supplying water to the house.

Now the group is once again mobilizing its forces to prevent Hubbart from settling in nearby Juniper Hills.

“The last time he lived here, we were determined to fight it,” Holbrook said. “We plan to do it again.”

“We will find out where he lives and be out there every night, yelling at him with megaphones again to make it clear to him that he is not wanted here.”

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

LA County DA George Gascón said he objected to Hubbart’s conditional release

Investigators said he specifically targeted women in their late twenties and thirties, sometimes looking for children's toys because those mothers were more likely to cooperate with him to protect their children.

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

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

“The repeated placement of these individuals in the same community shows a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of our residents.”

“Our assistant district attorneys will continue to oppose Mr. Hubbart’s detention in Antelope Valley.”

“We need to demand more from our justice system and ensure that decisions are in the best interests of our communities, while exploring alternative locations for these placements.”

Antelope Valley residents planned to meet at the Juniper Hill Community Center Wednesday evening to voice their concerns.

“We will continue to fight this because he does not belong in this community,” Holbook said.