WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Andrew Luster was released after serving approximately 20 years, despite initially receiving a 124 year sentence for drugging and sexually assaulting three women.
  • Glendora Mayor David Fredendall called the release unacceptable and demanded more transparency from California officials.
  • Luster was resentenced to 50 years in 2013 after a judge set aside his original sentence.
  • Local officials are seeking information about Luster’s supervision and measures intended to protect Glendora residents.

A California man convicted of drugging and raping three women has been released from state prison after serving approximately 20 years, igniting outrage over how someone originally sentenced to 124 years could return to the community, as reported by Fox News.

[snip]

Glendora Mayor David Fredendall condemned the development in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. He called it unacceptable that a convicted serial rapist is reportedly living in the community.

Serial rapıst Andrew Luster, 60, is set to be released early from prison thanks to his crimes being classified as “non-violent” thanks to Proposition 57, crafted by then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris in 2016. Are these the policies we want for the whole US? https://t.co/NxTia4vuAw— TaraBull (@TaraBull) September 21, 2024

“The City of Glendora is beyond disappointed. We are outraged,” Fredendall said.

[snip]

Luster was convicted in 2003 of 86 felony counts connected to the drugging and sexual assault of three women at his beachfront home in Ventura County. Prosecutors said he used GHB to render the women unconscious before sexually assaulting them.

While free on $1 million bail during his trial, Luster fled to Mexico in January 2003. He was convicted in his absence and later captured in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, by celebrity bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman.

[snip]

Prosecutors opposed the reduced sentence and described Luster’s crimes as “cruel, vicious and callous.” His release has renewed criticism of California’s criminal justice system, particularly Proposition 57, a voter-approved measure passed in 2016 that expanded parole consideration for certain offenders.

KTLA reported that Luster was denied parole in 2022 before receiving parole in 2024. Ventura County prosecutors successfully challenged that decision, and Luster was denied parole again in April 2025.

[snip]

“The State may argue that this was not technically an early release. It can point to sentencing credits, legal calculations, and administrative requirements,” the mayor continued.

“However, those technical explanations do not address the larger concern: how an individual originally sentenced to 124 years in prison for heinous crimes is able to walk out of a secured facility after only 20 years.”

[snip]

“It is incomprehensible that an individual originally sentenced to 124 years in prison for such horrific crimes could be granted parole after serving approximately 20 years.”

Rubio said she is working with local officials and law enforcement to learn more about the circumstances surrounding Luster’s release, including the conditions governing his supervision.

[sni

“We will do everything within our lawful authority to protect our residents. But local governments should not be forced to shoulder the public-safety consequences of decisions made in Sacramento without adequate transparency and accountability.”

The city is seeking additional information from state officials about the release and measures intended to protect residents.

Fox News Digital contacted the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for confirmation of Luster’s release date, clarification of the sentencing calculations, and details about his parole supervision.

(*) Full article: https://www.lifezette.com/2026/10/outrage-erupts-as-convicted-serial-rapist-sentenced-to-124-years-walks-free-after-about-20/