‘Pillowcase Rapist’ Acquitted of Charges in Indiana

Reginald Muldrew, dubbed the “pillowcase rapist” for crimes he committed in Southern California, has been acquitted of burglary and other charges, the second time in eight weeks an Indiana jury has found him innocent of criminal charges.

A Lake Superior Court jury found Muldrew not guilty Wednesday of confinement, burglary and criminal deviate conduct charges stemming from a June 24 break-in and attack at the home of a Gary woman and her daughter.

Muldrew, who had faced 40 years in prison if convicted, whispered “Keep the faith” to one of two women friends in the courtroom after the verdict was read.

During closing arguments, Jerry Peteet, Muldrew’s attorney, blasted police handling of the case, saying officers collected no crime scene evidence and had a suspect description that did not match Muldrew.

Prosecutor Bernard Carter conceded after the verdict that the prosecution “had some evidentiary problems that we could not overcome.”

On Feb. 8, Muldrew was acquitted of confinement and burglary charges in an unrelated attack on a Gary woman in her home.

He was released from a California prison in December 1995 after serving 16 years of a 25-year sentence for four rapes and 13 related offenses. He became known as the pillowcase rapist because he put pillowcases over his victims’ heads to conceal his identity.