Richard Gilmore: ‘Jogger serial rapist’ to be released from Oregon prison

An Oregon serial rapist is scheduled to be released from prison in mid-December after serving nearly 36 years behind bars, almost the entire maximum sentence.

Richard Gillmore, arrested in 1986 and dubbed a “jogger rapist” for staking out victims as he walked past their homes, admitted to raping nine girls in the Portland area in the 1970s and ’80s, but was accused only in one case convicted by law of restrictions. In 1987, a jury found him guilty of raping 13-year-old Tiffany Edens, his last known victim, in December 1986.

The Associated Press generally does not credit people who have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly. Edens has spoken out about the attack, recently writing on social media that she received a voicemail from the state’s Victim Information and Notification Service in August informing her of his imminent release.

“I was slowly processing the reality of it all,” she wrote.

The Oregonian, citing prison officials, reported that Gillmore was transferred from Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla to Columbia River Correctional Institution in Portland in August to help him prepare for his re-entry into the community. He will be 63 at the time of his release in December.

KOIN, who first reported his impending release, said Gillmore will remain under custody until 2034 and could be sent back to prison if he violates his parole.

A judge in the Edens case sentenced Gillmore to a minimum of 30 years in prison with a maximum of 60 years. But a parole board cut his sentence in half in 1988, a year after his conviction.

Danielle Tudor, who said she was a teenager when Gillmore raped her in 1979, has spoken out against his release.

“If he could have been charged for all the rapes he committed, he would never have gotten out,” Tudor told KOIN.

Gillmore was ranked as the sex offender with the lowest risk of recidivism. His rape requires him to remain a sex offender on record for the rest of his life, but the classification means the state and county have no obligation to notify nearby residents that he lives in their area.

His victims are upset that Gillmore is not considered a high-risk sex offender, which would require community notification wherever he lives or moves.

The Oregonian reported that Tudor said she didn’t understand why he was being classified as a low-level sex offender.

“He was identified as a dangerous offender at trial,” Tudor said.