A retired judge could rule this week on the appeal of a convicted rapist who received what amounted to a life sentence for drugging, and assaulting three women.
New attorneys for Andrew Luster contended in a hearing that he received bad advice from his original defense team, and should have accepted an plea deal for a lesser sentence. They are asking Judge Kathryn Stoltz, who heard the appeal, to reduce his sentence.
Luster is a heir to the Max Factor Cosmetics fortune. Prosecutors say he would lure women to his oceanfront Mussel Shoals home, put drugs in drinks he gave to them, and then sexually assault them. He videotaped some of the attacks.
Then, during the trial, he fled to Mexico. He was convicted in absentia, and given a 124 year sentence. Luster was eventually recaptured by a bounty hunter, and returned to the U.S. to serve his sentence.
