The recent release of a serial rapist who drugged young women in college bars in the late 1990s has sparked outrage in a San Gabriel Valley community where the man, the heir to a cosmetics fortune, reportedly lives.
Max Factor’s great-grandson, Andrew Stuart Luster, was convicted in 2003 of 86 felony counts, including poisoning, rape, sodomy and oral sex on an unconscious victim. The jury was shown a video he made of himself having sex with a woman who had been rendered unconscious by GHB, the so-called date rape drug.
Glendora Mayor David Fredendall said in a statement Friday that his community was “outraged” by Luster’s release, which he attributed to a California voter-approved law that makes it easier for those convicted of nonviolent felonies to be released early.
“The people of Glendora need not fear for their safety because of the state’s decision to allow individuals with histories of rape and violence to now live in close proximity to schools, parks, playgrounds, churches and community centers. They deserve a better explanation than one hidden behind the mechanics of a deeply flawed system,” Frednall said in the release.
Luster fled to Mexico in 2003 after posting $1 million bail, and his case attracted widespread media attention. He was later captured in Puerto Vallarta by American bounty hunter and reality TV personality Duane “Dog” Chapman.
According to a statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation last week, Luster, 62, was released on parole on October 11 “after completing his sentence as required by law.” The department said Luster was eligible for and accrued 977 days of work time and good behavior credit before being released.
“This is not an early release,” the department said.
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office explained to KCLU in 2023 that Luster’s crime, rape of an unconscious person, was technically a nonviolent crime.
Typically, people convicted of nonviolent felonies must serve 50 percent of their sentence. In 2003, Luster was sentenced to 124 years in prison; however, in 2013, the sentence was reduced to 50 years. He has since served approximately 25 years in prison, including time under house arrest and pretrial detention.
Two years ago, the Department of Corrections Board granted Luster early parole over the objections of all three victims who attended the hearing and opposed release. Prosecutors with the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office challenged the move, arguing Laster continued to misrepresent the nature of his crimes and remained a threat to public safety. The decision was later overturned by a majority of the parole board members.
Ventura County District Atty. Eric Nasarenko said last year that his office would “continue to vigorously oppose any early release from state prisons.” But his office noted that Luster would be released in late 2026 anyway because his sentence was commuted over “strong objections” from prosecutors.
When Judge Kathryne Ann Stoltz vacated Last’s 124-year sentence in 2013, she expressed doubts about most of the arguments made by Last’s attorneys during more than a week of hearings but agreed that his sentence was unusually long and needed to be reconsidered, according to Times archives.
Stoltz called the recording of the crime at the trial “disturbing” and that the victim appeared lifeless. She wrote that Gloss “squinted, smiled and gloated at the camera.” She noted that while he was on the run in Mexico, he compiled a so-called “payback list” that listed the names of Ventura County prosecutors, deputy sheriffs, victims and attorneys.
His lawyers argued that the escape was instigated by a former Luster lawyer who threatened him into running for his life and repeatedly told him he would be killed in prison. But Stoltz made clear in her ruling that she believed his trip to Mexico was voluntary.
Voter-approved Proposition 57 passed in 2016 to address overcrowding in state prisons. Under the law, state corrections officials gain new authority to award sentencing points to reduce the time people spend in prison and allow nonviolent offenders to appear before parole boards more frequently, among other changes.
Times staff writer Clara Hart contributed to this report.