San Gabriel Valley : Group to Stop Using Pillowcases at Rallies

At the urging of several rape victims, the Women’s Coalition of Pasadena has agreed to stop using pillowcases in protest rallies and at news conferences dealing with the so-called pillowcase rapist, group members said Tuesday.

During three media events in the last two weeks, three coalition members held stuffed pillowcases on wooden sticks with the numbers 2-0-0 written on them. The “200” represented the number of sex offenses that police believe Reginald Muldrew has committed. Muldrew was released from prison Monday afternoon and flew to Las Vegas, after serving 16 years in prison for four counts of rape and other charges.

He earned the name “pillowcase rapist” because he covered his victims faces with pillowcases, blouses or scarves.

“Seeing them hold up the pillowcases like that, you know, it hurt,” one victim said. “We weren’t just blank faces behind the pillowcases. We were real people.”

Women’s Coalition President Susan Carpenter McMillan said she was sorry if the imagery caused any victims pain.

“I wouldn’t do it anymore because I think we got our point across,” Carpenter McMillan said. “If [the victim] had called last week, I wouldn’t [have said] that we can’t do it anymore. I felt to motivate the public, [the pillowcases] would be such a strong vehicle.”

Late Tuesday, Las Vegas police said they were unsure of his whereabouts. If he is still in Las Vegas today, he is required to register as a sex offender or face arrest, said Lt. Brad Simpson of the Las Vegas Police Department.