Serial rapist is ordered back to mental hospital
An Orange County judge has ordered a convicted serial rapist committed to a mental hospital, possibly for life, after a jury found that he continues to be a threat to society.
On Monday, a jury unanimously reached the determination against Dougal Samuels, 55, after a monthlong civil commitment trial.
Samuels was convicted in 1989 of raping two women and sexually assaulting two others in Orange County. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison and has been in the custody of the state Department of Mental Health since 1996.
During the civil commitment trial, Samuels admitted to raping several women in Illinois in the early 1980s and attempting to rape another Orange County woman in 1987.
Under state law, people convicted of sexually violent offenses must undergo a mental evaluation once they have completed their criminal sentence. Prosecutors may petition to have the defendant committed civilly and must prove that the defendant has been diagnosed with a mental disorder and is likely to offend again once released.
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