Andrew Luster Released After 20 Years, Reviving Fury Over 124-Year Rape Sentence

Q: What legal mechanics allowed a convicted predator to bypass recent parole denials and secure a mandatory release this October?

He was not released because a parole board changed its mind; he was released because California law required release once his determinate term, minus legally earned credits, was exhausted. The key mechanics were his 2013 resentencing from 124 years to a 50-year determinate sentence, plus credit calculations. CDCR said Andrew Luster received 977 days of pre-sentence custody credit and was also eligible to earn worktime and good-conduct credits while incarcerated. Under California rules for determinate-sentenced prisoners, those credits reduce the time that must be served in prison. Once that adjusted sentence-ending date arrived, CDCR had to release him to parole supervision. That is why earlier parole denials did not keep him locked up indefinitely. The denials blocked discretionary early release, but they did not erase his mandatory release date. Ventura County prosecutors had warned that even if parole kept being denied, he would still have to be released when his sentence was fully served as recalculated under credit rules. Public confusion stemmed from the overlap between parole hearings and sentence-completion law. Proposition 57 is often cited because it expanded credit-earning and parole opportunities, and critics say it helped create the framework. But CDCR’s position was that this was not an “early release” after a successful parole bid. It was a mandatory release after completion of a determinate sentence, as shortened by pre-sentence, worktime, and conduct credits.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 19

Andrew Luster, convicted on 86 felony counts for drugging and raping three women, was released from California state prison this month and is reportedly living in Glendora.
A 2013 resentencing cut his original 124-year term to 50 years after a judge found procedural flaws in how consecutive sentences were imposed, paving the way for release after roughly 20 years.
Glendora Mayor David Fredendall and Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio called the release unacceptable, warning it undermines public safety and confidence in the justice system.
KTLA reported Luster was denied parole in 2022, granted parole in 2024, then denied again in April 2025 after prosecutors challenged the decision; he had been expected to remain imprisoned until October 2026.
The case has renewed scrutiny of California parole and sentencing policies, including Proposition 57, with local officials seeking details on supervision conditions and the calculations behind his release.