Ronald Mark Feldmeier (Screenshot from Bakersfield NBC affiliate KGET)
A man known as the ‘Pillowcase Rapist’ for using a pillowcase to quiet his victims in California in the 1980s — let out of prison early after 30 years — has been found guilty of kidnapping a woman who was hurt and confused after jumping out of the car he was driving.
Ronald Mark Feldmeier, 72, was convicted of kidnapping, said online court information. He was cleared of imprisonment with violence. His sentencing date has not been scheduled.
Jacob Evans, his public defender, expressed disappointment with the result, as reported by Bakersfield NBC affiliate KGET reported.
“We do not agree with the jury’s final decision on the facts, but we appreciate the attention and care they put into it,” Evans, the station said. “It is their decision — not ours — that is important. When the process is fair and the deliberations are thorough, we can all have more confidence in the fairness of the result.”
“It is extremely important that cases like these are decided based on the facts and evidence of the case at hand, and not on judgments about the person’s character, or influenced by public opinion, or anger over past wrongs, but only by the evidence presented and the law that applies,” he added. “Only the jury was present during their deliberations, so I do not know which facts they found most important in their analysis, but I’m sure they held each other accountable in reaching their unanimous decision.”
As Law&Crime Bakersfield Police Department officers responded to a report of a confused woman with traumatic injuries shouting for help in the 1800 block of Glenarm Court in Bakersfield at around 2 a.m. on June 26, more than 100 miles north of Los Angeles, as reported by . The woman was taken to a hospital and listed in stable condition, officials said.
Police said the woman felt unsafe based on statements Feldmeier allegedly made. She asked him several times to stop and let her out of the car, but he refused, so she jumped out.
Feldmeier, a registered sex offender, was arrested at his home and taken to the Kern County Jail on kidnapping charges.
Feldmeier was imprisoned on May 15, 1986, to serve 67 years for oral copulation with force, attempted rape, rape, sodomy with force, and robbery, according to a statement to Law&Crime from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
He received 885 days of pre-sentence credits for time served while awaiting trial, the statement said. He was also eligible for day-for-day prison work credits under the law.
He completed 33 years, 4 months, and 6 days before being released to parole supervision on Sept. 21, 2019. His parole supervision ended on Sept. 20, 2022, officials said.
In 2020, he was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender, KGET reported.
The attorney who represented him told the station he was no longer a threat.
“He served his time, which was tougher than time served by others because he was repeatedly assaulted, stabbed, and attacked by other inmates,” said Humphrey, the station reported at the time.