Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Man Who Admitted To Raping 40 Women Could Be Released In L.A.
A man who admitted to raping 40 women since the 1970's—most of them in Southern California—could soon be released.Right now Christopher Evans Hubbart, 62, is being housed at the Coalinga State Hospital in Santa Clara County, according to City News Service. But because he recently passed a psychiatric evaluation, Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Gilbert Brown ruled that he should be released to Los Angeles County November. Now officials here are protesting that move.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey is challenging the judge's ruling. She told CNS, "Our ultimate goal is to seek justice for all residents of Los Angeles County and make sure sexually violent predators remain in custody. This inmate has a long history of horrific violence against women and we must act to keep our community safe.''
Lacey has begun notifying Hubbart's victims that he is returning. In her office's petition to the court, she has also asked that he be returned to San Bernardino County where he was last paroled or Santa Clara County where he spent several years—not Los Angeles.
Hubbart, who grew up in Pasadena and Claremont, has admitted to raping 40 women since 1971, and he has been convicted in 34 cases. He was first arrested in 1972 in Los Angeles at the age of 21 after he committed a string of violent rapes in the San Gabriel Valley and Orange County, according to CBS Los Angeles. He was sent to Atascadero State Hospital, and he was released in 1979 when doctors apparently said he no longer posed a threat—although that turned out to not be true.
Sponsored message
In the next two years, he went on to rape another 15 women in the Bay Area. He was imprisoned again in 1982 and then paroled in 1990. He ended up back in prison soon after when he attacked a jogger and was convicted of false imprisonment, according to the Associated Press.
He was supposed to be released in 1996, but he was admitted to a state mental hospital for treatment instead. Up until now, he has failed to pass his psychiatric evaluations. Each time Hubbart has been released or scheduled to be released he has been greeted with protests.
"He needs to be behind bars, not released into our neighborhoods," County Supervisor Michael Antonovich told the board. "Perhaps the judge should take him, if he wants him out so badly, let him live in Santa Clara in his neighborhood."
When Hubbart is released, the Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Vonda Tracey says Hubbart will be monitored 24/7 by a company called Liberty Healthcare Corporation. He will wear a GPS ankle bracelet, continue treatment, obey a curfew and be subject to random searches, seizures, drug testing and polygraph tests. But the Los Angeles County District Attorney thinks that isn't enough.
Lacey told CNS, "If these crimes were committed today, this inmate's release would not
be in question. Today's violent sexual predators face life in prison."
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
