Dog the Bounty Hunter Reacts as Max Factor Heir, Convicted Serial Rapist, Walks Free
Andrew Luster, who was captured in Mexico in 2003 by Duane "Dog" Chapman, has been released from prison after his sentence was reduced.
Duane "Dog" Chapman, the famed bounty hunter, has shared his thoughts as Andrew Luster, the Max Factor heir convicted of serial rape, has been released from prison more than two decades after his capture. Luster, who fled the United States during his California trial, was apprehended in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in 2003 by Chapman, his son Leland, and associates.
Luster had been convicted in absentia on 86 counts for drugging and raping three women between 1996 and 2000. He was initially sentenced to 124 years in prison. However, a judge's error and subsequent resentencing reduced his term, and he was released earlier this month after serving over 20 years. He earned substantial early release credits under California's Proposition 57 criminal justice reforms, which prosecutors had opposed, arguing that Luster's crimes should not be classified as nonviolent.
"I hope he's smart enough — and he's smart — to never do anything like that again," Chapman told Fox News Digital. He recalled the adrenaline rush of spotting Luster in a bar with a young woman.
"When I saw him, you talk about an adrenaline rush went through my body," Chapman said. "Tim got down...he snuck up behind him, and then I pushed him. He fell over. We all jumped on him, and I screamed, 'You're under arrest by the United States of America.'"
Chapman and his team apprehended Luster and loaded him into an SUV, intending to bring him back to the U.S. However, they were intercepted by Mexican authorities, who arrested everyone involved. Mexican law at the time did not permit bounty hunters to make arrests, and the case against Chapman was eventually dismissed.
Luster's release has caused distress among his victims. One victim, who spoke anonymously, expressed her unease knowing Luster is now free. "It's very unsettling knowing that he is not behind bars, not in a closed facility," she told Fox News Digital. "He is out in the public, in a community that just — it just doesn't feel very good at all."
The victim also shared concerns for her safety and that of other victims and investigators, noting that a notebook with a "payback list" containing their names was found in Luster's hotel room. She described how Luster narrated videos of himself committing assaults, referring to his victims as "toys."
Chapman, whose capture of Luster occurred shortly before the debut of his A&E reality series "Dog the Bounty Hunter," said he never received the bounty for Luster's apprehension and incurred significant personal expenses for the operation and subsequent legal battles. He is set to launch a new YouTube series, "Dog the Bounty Hunter...Everyone Deserves a Second Chance," which will focus on helping inmates with good behavior, excluding those with serious felony or sex abuse charges.