A convicted serial sex offender known as the “Pillowcase Rapist” is set to be released in California next month, but the community and its leaders are voicing their opposition.
Christopher Hubbard, 73, was convicted of a string of rapes and other sex crimes in Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties in 1973, 1982 and 1990. Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. He got this nickname because he would muffle the screams of his victims with a pillowcase.
“No matter where he's incarcerated, he's going to rape again,” Cheryl Holbrook, who was raped as a high school freshman, told Fox News Digital about Hubbard's possible release. “This guy is a really bad kid. It doesn't matter what age he is.”
The State Hospital Board recommended that Hubbert be hospitalized at an address in Antelope Valley, a desert region about 80 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.
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Christopher Hubbard is expected to be released. (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department)
He was released about a decade ago, amid protests and opposition from local residents, fitted with an ankle bracelet and placed in a facility east of Palmdale, California.
Holbrook, 63, was one of the residents who took part in the protests and have been fighting against his reintegration since 2013.
She lived just 10 minutes away from Hubbard in 2014 and had the opportunity to speak with him in person at the time.
“He told us he would commit another offence and that he would do it again,” she said.
Former Los Angeles County Sheriff John L. Scott said Hubbard admitted to raping more than 100 women across California between 1971 and 1983. In a letter He opposed Hubbard's release in 2014.
“He is the most prolific and violent rapist I have encountered in my 45 years in law enforcement in California. He has been declared mentally ill and an extremely dangerous violent sex offender,” the sheriff wrote.
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Cheryl Holbrook protests the release of Christopher Hubbard in 2014. (Cheryl Holbrook)
Hubbard was released in 2014 and then detained again two years later for violating the terms of his release. Holbrook noted that Hubbard had failed multiple polygraph tests.
In his letter, Scott wrote that Hubbard was convicted of raping 14 women in 1972. After being paroled in 1983, he raped a woman on the day of his release and then raped nine more women in the San Jose area that year before being arrested and returned to prison. Hubbard was released again in 1990, but was rearrested for holding women hostage.
Scott added that Hubbard has numerous arrests for violent crimes, including rape by intimidation, sexual intercourse, oral copulation, theft and false imprisonment.
In 2021, the State Hospital Board recommended he was suitable for conditional release, paving the way for his expected release next month.
Cheryl Holbrook (center) protests Hubbert's release in 2014. (Courtesy of Cheryl Holbrook)
The state hospital board would not explain why Hubbard was deemed fit for discharge, citing patient privacy laws.
A court hearing to determine where Hubbert will be released is scheduled for Oct. 1, the district attorney's office said in a statement.
“It is irresponsible and unjust to continue sending sexually violent offenders to disadvantaged communities like the Antelope Valley,” said District Attorney George Gascón. “Repeatedly sending these individuals to the same neighborhoods shows a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of its residents. Our Assistant District Attorneys will continue to oppose the placement of Mr. Hubbert in the Antelope Valley.”
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Protesters against the release of “pillowcase rapist” Christopher Hubbert in 2014. (Courtesy of Cheryl Holbrook)
Los Angeles County Supervisor Katherine Barger joined other elected officials in opposing the proposed release, citing “several reasons” for her position. letter to Los Angeles Judge Robert Harrison.
“The rural nature and harsh terrain of this hilly area precludes the development and use of a robust communications infrastructure…cell phone signals and service, landline service, and internet connectivity are unreliable and inconsistent,” Burger's letter read in part. “If any element of parole were to require the use of these types of technology to monitor or monitor Mr. Hubbert, there is a risk of failure…and it is imminent.”
“Also, if an emergency were to occur, police emergency response times would be increased… Only two sheriff's deputies are assigned to the area where the proposed site is located, and they alone are responsible for patrolling the southeastern Antelope Valley, which covers several hundred square miles.”
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Hubbert will be stationed in California's Antelope Valley. (Michael Robinson Chavez/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Holbrook cited several other concerns about releasing Hubbert in the proposed area.
“There are no fences around the houses,” she said. “We don't turn on the lights at night, so it's dark. It's pitch black, so criminals can break into any house at any time.”
Hubbard's possible release brings back memories of Holbrook's own sexual assault as a girl.
“I'm so scared that he knows who we are and is going to come looking for us,” she said. “Or is he going to rape another little girl? It's terrifying.”
