A man in California, previously convicted as a serial rapist, was released from prison after serving around 20 years of his 124-year sentence. His release, especially considering he’s the great-grandson of the famous cosmetics pioneer Max Factor, has sparked significant outrage. The 62-year-old Andrew Luster was sentenced for drugging and assaulting several women.
According to NBC News, Luster’s release on parole occurred on October 11, which the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has maintained was in compliance with legal requirements.
One quote regarding his crimes was particularly chilling: “By drugging his victims into a coma-like state, Andrew Luster played Russian roulette with their lives.”
Luster is now listed as a sex offender with a registered address in Glendora, California, and will remain on supervised parole for three years while he is required to register as a sex offender for life.
The Department clarified that this is not considered an early release. They explained that inmates sentenced to determinate terms may earn credits for good behavior and work time, leading to a potential reduction in their time served. In Luster’s case, he accrued almost three years of pre-sentence credit and participated in other credit-earning programs while incarcerated.
His legal troubles began in July 2000, when a college student accused him of rape, leading to his arrest. A search of his home turned up video evidence of Luster drugging and assaulting multiple victims.
His trial kicked off in late 2002, during which he managed to convince a judge to allow him to leave custody temporarily to meet with his lawyer in Los Angeles. It was during this time he fled to Mexico with help from an accomplice.
Eventually, in June 2003, bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman apprehended him in Puerto Vallarta, where witnesses reported that Chapman’s team used aerosol spray and handcuffs to detain him.
Luster faced a total of 86 counts related to rape and drug offenses after jurors were shown videos he recorded of himself engaging in sexual actions with unconscious women using GHB, known as a “date-rape” drug.
In March 2013, his original 124-year sentence was dismissed due to an error made by the original judge. His sentence was adjusted to 50 years after it was determined that the judge had incorrectly accumulated the prison terms, as explained by Luster’s legal representative.
Concerns about his release grew louder, with Ventura County’s District Attorney expressing that Luster’s release poses a significant threat to public safety, particularly given his pattern of preying on young women, particularly in college settings.
Disturbingly, Luster recorded some of his attacks, prompting further outrage from officials like District Attorney Erik Nasarenko who asserted that such actions reflected a highly dangerous predator.
City leaders in Glendora expressed their deep disappointment and anger at the situation. Mayor David Fredendall pointed fingers at Proposition 57, a law that purportedly limits the time violent offenders can spend in prison. He emphasized that voters were misled into believing that dangerous individuals would remain incarcerated under the law’s provisions.
Fredendall’s statements suggested that Luster’s early release was a betrayal of the public’s safety concerns, arguing that residents should not have to fear for their safety so close to schools and parks.
The tension is palpable in Glendora, as residents are reacting strongly to the release of someone who once faced a sentence meant to keep him behind bars for a very long time. The mayor stressed that the system must improve to ensure the safety of individuals in the community.
The Department of Corrections was not immediately available to provide more specifics regarding Luster’s release or the calculations behind his sentence reduction.
