Max Factor heir resentenced to 50 years for rapes

VENTURA, Calif.

Superior Court Judge Kathryne Stoltz resentenced Luster to 50 years, throwing out an original sentence of 124 years. Luster has already served 10 years for drugging and raping three women.

He was arrested in 2000. He fled the country while on trial in 2003. He was convicted of 86 felony counts in his absence. He was then captured in Mexico and returned later that year.

Under the new sentence issued Tuesday, he'll be eligible for parole in 15 years, prosecutors said. The defense had sought a sentence of 25 years or less.

Prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum filed last week that Luster's sentence was appropriate, but the original court's reasoning needed to be explained.

On Tuesday, Deputy District Attorney Michelle Contois called Luster's crimes "cruel, vicious and callous."

Last month, the judge refused a request to throw out Luster's conviction but granted him a resentencing hearing, writing in her ruling that the court "failed to state specific reasons for imposing full consecutive sentences" as the law requires.

Luster's lawyers said they would continue to appeal his conviction despite the new sentence.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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