A convicted serial rapist in Ventura County has once again been denied parole, but by law, he'll have to be released next year.
Prosecutors call him a serial predator. In 2003, Andrew Luster was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting three young women at his oceanfront home in Ventura County.
On Tuesday, the prosecutor who handled the case, as well as the three survivors, testified at Luster’s parole board hearing.
Parole was denied.
"We believe strongly that Andrew Luster remains a significant public safety risk, and as such, should be denied parole," said Ventura County District Attorney Eric Nasarenko.
He noted in the ruling that the parole board said Luster has shown no remorse or responsibility for his actions.
The case received extra attention because Luster is an heir to the Max Factor makeup company fortune. He was arrested for the crimes in 2000, but after posting a million-dollar bail, he fled. The trial took place anyway, and he was convicted in absentia.
In 2003, he was captured by a bounty hunter in Mexico and returned to the U.S. He tried to appeal his convictions, but because he had fled the country, a court ruled he had forfeited his right to appeal.
Luster was originally sentenced to 124 years in prison, but on appeal a judge reduced it to 50 years. Now, because of a loophole in a voter approved change in state law, he will legally have to be paroled late next year.
