Andrew Luster's Parole Denied by Board

The full Board of Parole Hearings has reversed an earlier decision to grant parole to Andrew Luster, a convicted rapist and heir to the Max Factor fortune, after a two-member panel's ruling was deemed erroneous by Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. Luster, who is serving a 50-year sentence for multiple felonies, including drugging and raping three women, will remain incarcerated until at least his next parole hearing in April 2025. The DA's office emphasized that releasing Luster would pose a significant threat to public safety, as he has continued to minimize his actions during his imprisonment. Luster's crimes, which occurred between 1996 and 2000, involved the use of the date rape drug GHB, and he recorded some of his assaults. His case drew considerable media attention, especially when he fled to Mexico during his trial, only to be captured later by reality TV bounty hunter Duane Chapman. The decision comes amid scrutiny of California's Proposition 57, which had previously allowed the potential for early release for violent offenders like Luster.