Judge Orders 'Pillowcase Rapist' To Be Released In Palmdale Within 45 Days

PALMDALE (CBSLA.com) — A Northern California judge Friday ordered the "Pillowcase Rapist" to be released in the Palmdale area on or before July 7.

Christopher Evans Hubbart, 63, admitted to raping about 40 women between 1971 and 1982, 26 of which were in the Los Angeles area.

Judge Gilbert Brown  said Hubbart will resided at a home in the 2000 block of East Avenue R.

"Despite the best efforts by the Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, Judge Brown refused to order Hubbart to undergo a new mental health evaluation to determine his mental state prior to his release," said Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.  "His last mental health evaluation was fifteen months ago."

At a news conference Friday, Lacey expressed frustration.

"We took every legal action at our disposal to try to stop his return to our community," said Lacey.

Hubbart's release will be monitored by the Liberty Conditional Release Program, which contracts with the state to place and supervise sexually violent predators.

Under the terms of his release, Hubbart will be required to wear a GPS ankle monitor for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He will also be required to attend group and individual therapy sessions twice a week.

"For the first six months to a year after his release, a Liberty supervisor will accompany him every time he goes out in public," the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office said.

Reporting from the area, CBS2's Adrianna Weingold spoke to several women who were not happy about the judge's decision.

"When I heard the news, I broke down crying and shaking," said Cheryl Holbrook.

She lives just five miles from where the judge said Hubbart can reside.

"I'm just very concerned and worried because this judge wouldn't listen to us when we went to San Jose," said Holbrook. "He will attack again and he's not going to leave any witnesses behind next time."

Neighbor Misty Vivrito also expressed concern about Hubbart living nearby.

"No one is going to be able to sleep. No one is going to be able to live comfortably anymore because of this," Vivrito said.

Vivrito said she herself was raped several years ago and she has four little girls to protect.

"I'm going to take them to learn how to shoot a gun," she said, "I mean, the judge didn't give me a choice. He didn't give anyone here a choice."

KCAL9's Bobby Kaple, reported from in front of the home where Hubbart is set to move into sometime within the next 45 days.

Protesters on Friday evening told him they want Governor Brown to step in and intervene.

"It goes against everything in this country that we believe in," said Palmdale Mayor Pro Tem Tom Lackey, about allowing Hubbart to move into the neighborhood.

Lackey is joining in the chorus asking the governor to step in.

"Governor Brown can actually intervene and stop this," Lackey said, "We would plead with him to actually see the severity of this situation and the extreme nature of it and step in and put an end to it."