Oregon serial rapist's release is ‘irresponsible,’ a ‘slap in the face,' survivor Tiffany Edens says
Tiffany Edens responds to Oregon officials announcing the release of Portland-area ‘jogger rapist’ Richard Gillmore as a low-risk sex offender.
A victim of Portland-area serial rapist Richard Gillmore expressed outrage Tuesday over his upcoming release from prison as a low-level sex offender.
"I was highly offended, and it felt like a slap in the face for myself and the other survivors that were raped by him," Tiffany Edens told "America Reports."
Gillmore was convicted in 1987 of raping 13-year-old Edens in December 1986. She is Gillmore’s last known victim before he was put behind bars.
OREGON SERIAL RAPIST SET TO BE RELEASED FROM PRISON THIS YEAR
In this 2008 photo, convicted rapist Richard Gillmore is pictured during his parole hearing in Salem, Ore. Gillmore is set to be released from prison in mid-December 2022 after serving nearly 36 years behind bars, almost all of his maximum sentence. (Associated Press)
Gillmore is set to be released in December as a low-level sex offender, meaning state and local officials are not required to inform residents if he is living in their area.
He admitted to raping nine young girls and women in Portland, Oregon, and its suburbs in the 1970s and 1980s. He became known as the "jogger rapist" because he cased out the homes of his victims by running past them, the Oregonian reported.
Gillmore was ultimately convicted in only one case due to the others failing to fall within the statute of limitations, according to the Oregonian. A judge in the Edens' case sentenced Gillmore to at least 30 years in prison, with a 60-year maximum, in 1987. A parole board cut his sentence in half in 1988.
"If he had been convicted on those crimes, I don't think that we would be getting the lowest level of a sex offender at this time," Edens told host Sandra Smith.
The convicted rapist’s classification was determined by a Static 99 risk assessment tool, which gauges how likely a sex offender is to re-offend. His age of 63 at release was also weighed when determining the classification.
"I'm pretty sure that there are not 13-year-old or teenage girls around him in prison," Edens said, adding that men his age can still be strong enough to overpower young girls. "I find it irresponsible on behalf of the parole board."
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"I think that the Oregon community needs to be able to know what is moving next door to them and their daughters, their granddaughters," she concluded.
"It's not right."
Fox News' Emma Colton and Landon Mion contributed to this report.