‘Pillowcase Rapist’s’ Condition Improves

The condition of convicted “pillowcase rapist” Reginald Muldrew continued to improve Saturday at a hospital in Gary, Ind. So did the condition of the case against him that is being mounted by Gary police.

Investigators said they will ask prosecutors Monday to charge the 48-year-old Muldrew with robbery stemming from the Aug. 5 incident during which he was beaten and critically injured by neighbors of the woman he allegedly robbed.

That news was cheered by Los Angeles women’s activists seeking a return to prison for the man whose nickname came from his habit of covering victims’ heads with pillowcases to keep them from identifying him.

Doctors at Gary’s Methodist Hospital upgraded Muldrew’s condition to serious from critical Saturday after he regained consciousness from a coma that was induced. Physicians earlier had been unable to treat him because of his thrashing about in bed.

Cpl. Delmar Stout, a Gary police detective, said Saturday night that investigators have found a witness “who can place” Muldrew at the scene of the robbery during which Gary resident LaSandra Morris was reportedly forced to lie on the floor with a pillow over her head.

Stout’s disclosure followed a meeting with Los Angeles lawyer Gloria Allred; D’Anza Bringier, who aided police in the arrest of Muldrew in 1978, and Virginia Watson, whom Allred identified as one of Muldrew’s victims.

The trio traveled to Gary on Saturday “to familiarize police here with the past history of Muldrew,” Allred said.

Earlier Saturday, Susan Carpenter McMillan, president of the Pasadena-based Women’s Coalition, said Gary Police Chief John Roby had informed her by telephone of authorities’ plans.

McMillan said officials may be able to try Muldrew as a career criminal under Indiana law, making him eligible for a prison sentence of up to 30 years.

At a news conference at McMillan’s home, one of Muldrew’s rape victims said she hopes he is convicted and gets a lengthy sentence.

The victim, a 38-year-old Torrance marketing executive, identified herself only as Ann. “He wasn’t given enough time in prison the first time,” she said. “I want to make sure the right thing is done this time.”

California authorities believe that Muldrew may have committed as many as 200 sex crimes in the late 1970s. He was released from prison in December after serving 16 years of a 25-year sentence for rape, robbery and burglary.

McMillan said she dropped a plan to travel Saturday to Indiana with several rape victims after Allred announced her intent to do the same thing. McMillan said she did not want to contribute to a “circus atmosphere” there.

But she vowed to accompany Los Angeles victims to watch Muldrew’s sentencing--if he’s convicted of robbery. “It will be a cleansing moment” for victims to see “this slime, this slug dragged into court,” McMillan said.

When Muldrew was released from prison, the move triggered heated criticism from his victims and numerous groups who warned that he would rape again.

The California man, who had moved to Gary to be near his brother, almost died from the Aug. 5 beating. Muldrew is unable to talk because of a tracheotomy tube inserted during surgery.