Judge orders release of 'Pillowcase Rapist' to Palmdale

LAKE LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KABC) -- A judge has ruled that the so-called "Pillowcase Rapist" can live in the Palmdale area when he is released, despite vigorous objections from area residents.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Gilbert Brown ordered Christopher Evans Hubbart to be placed in a small house at 20315 East Avenue R when he's released.

Hubbart has admitted to raping and assaulting about 40 women between 1971 and 1982. Authorities place the number of victims closer to 100.

"It's outrageous that an admitted sexual predator with a long history of brutal crimes against women be released in this community - or any community," said L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich.

"We are saddened by the news, but that doesn't mean that we're just going to give up. We're going to keep fighting," said Lake Los Angeles resident Misty Vivirito. "We're going to go all the way to Jerry Brown's office in Sacramento and see what we can get done there. This is not a dumping zone."

"It affects all of us in the Antelope Valley, not just people that live in this small community," said Palmdale resident Jodi Klyman. "And we're in the middle of nowhere, which is good for what the judge thinks, but it's bad because if he does bring another victim out here, nobody's going to hear a scream or a cry."

The judge ruled that Hubbart be released by July 7. After his release, he will be monitored by the Liberty Conditional Release Program. He will have therapy sessions twice a week, and for the first six months to a year of his release, a supervisor will accompany him whenever he goes out in public.