‘Pillowcase Rapist’ Released, Could Move Back to LA County

A violent sex offender is set to be released from prison and may have settled in Los Angeles County.

The proposal to house the man once known as the “Pillowcase Rapist” in the Antelope Valley town of Juniper Hills has drawn calls from Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and Dist. Atty. George Gascón for residents to voice their concerns.

On Tuesday, local authorities learned that the Antelope Valley had again been chosen as a home for Christopher Evans Hubbart, who targeted young women in their homes in the San Gabriel Valley in 1972 and raped them again years later in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Gascón, who opposed Hubbard’s release, said lawyers in his office would try to block his placement in the Antelope Valley. The decision now rests with the Los Angeles Superior Court, which has scheduled a hearing for Oct. 1.

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“It is both irresponsible and unjust to continue to release sexually violent predators into underserved communities like the Antelope Valley,” Gascón said in a statement. “We must demand more from our justice system, ensure that decisions are made in the best interests of our communities, and at the same time explore alternative locations for these placements.”

Barger released a statement Wednesday evening opposing the plan.

“We cannot allow our rural communities in the Antelope Valley to become a magnet for harboring sexually violent predators,” Barger said. “That is simply unacceptable.”

She cited poor mobile coverage, intermittent internet, landline disruptions and long police wait times as “clear reasons for failure”.

A representative from Gascón’s office was scheduled to attend a Juniper Hills City Council meeting on Wednesday to explain the parole program for sexually violent predators.

Hubbart, who became known as the “Pillowcase Rapist” for his habit of covering his victims’ heads with pillowcases, was indicted in Los Angeles on charges of rape, sodomy and attempted rape, accused of breaking into the homes of 10 women. He pleaded guilty to some of the charges and was sent to a state hospital as a mentally disturbed sex offender.

After his release in 1979, Hubbart moved to the Bay Area and began attacking again. Two years later, he was arrested and later convicted of rape, burglary and other crimes. He spent nearly eight years behind bars. In all, Hubbart confessed to at least 44 sexual assaults over 18 years, according to court documents.

Before his release, the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office petitioned a court to have him committed to a state psychiatric hospital under the Sexually Violent Predator Act. The law allows violent sex offenders to be committed to hospitals if they are likely to reoffend. Hubbart was committed to the Department of State Hospitals in 2000, Gascón’s statement said.

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In 2014, then-Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey opposed his initial placement in the Antelope Valley. After briefly living near Palmdale, Hubbart was returned to Coalinga State Hospital after failing to meet conditions of his release.

In March 2023, the Santa Clara County District Court granted his parole and ordered him to be placed in Los Angeles County.

The California Department of State Hospitals notified the Los Angeles County sheriff on Tuesday that it has recommended he be placed in Juniper Hills, a community near Pearblossom in the southern Antelope Valley.

The placement hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in Section 113 of the Hollywood Courthouse. Members of the public may participate remotely via this link.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.