WESTWOOD—On Tuesday, April 14, 2026, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office disclosed that James Heaps, 69, was sentenced to 11 years in prison and required to register as a sex offender for life after he pleaded guilty today to sexually assaulting five female patients from 2011-2018 while working as an obstetrician-gynecologist at UCLA.
Heaps pleaded at a pretrial hearing just two months after a California appeals court overturned his 2023 conviction due to an error by the trial judge.
Heaps, of Woodland Hills pleaded guilty on Tuesday in case SA100560 to 13 counts including: six felony counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person, five felony counts of sexual battery by fraud, and two felony counts of sexual exploitation of a patient. Heaps was sentenced by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo.
In 2023, Heaps was convicted by a jury of three felony counts of sexual battery by fraud and two felony counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person. He was sentenced in 2023 to 11 years in prison.
Heaps, a longtime gynecologist and faculty member at the university, sexually assaulted the victims over the years he practiced on campus. The case was prosecuted by Head Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers and Deputy District Attorney Rosa Zavala and was investigated by the California Department of Consumer Affairs.
SANTA MONICA—On Friday, November 7, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office disclosed that Marshonda Whitaker, 42, was charged with aiding driver, Alex Kristopher Kirksey, 38, who evaded police and fled California after he allegedly killed two people and seriously injured two others in a fatal hit and run in Santa Monica in October.
Kirksey was charged in case 25ARCF02225 on October 30 with two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence; two felony counts of hit and run driving resulting in death or serious injury; and one felony count of reckless driving on a highway causing injury. It is further alleged that he personally inflicted great bodily injury upon the victims and had a prior serious felony conviction.
On October 24, Kirksey was allegedly driving the wrong way on Wilshire Boulevard near Euclid Avenue when he traveled through a red light before striking a curb and hitting and killing Maura Cohen and Brad Lipshy, both 61, who were exiting a sushi restaurant in the 1300 block of Wilshire Boulevard. The vehicle continued traveling down the sidewalk and struck two other people who were transported to a hospital in critical condition.
Kirksey allegedly fled the scene on foot and left the state. After an extensive investigation, detectives with the Santa Monica Police Department tracked Kirksey to Chicago. With the help of the Chicago Police Department, he was taken into custody.
On November 6, Kirksey pleaded not guilty at arraignment. His bail was set at $1 million. If convicted as charged, Kirksey faces up to 26 years in state prison.
Marshonda Lajune Whitaker has been charged with one felony count of accessory after the fact. The complaint alleges that Whitaker, with knowledge that Kirksey committed gross vehicular manslaughter and hit and run, aided Kirksey in avoiding arrest. If convicted as charged, Whitaker faces a maximum sentence of three years in state prison.
Whitaker was arrested in Santa Monica on November 6. She was arraigned and pleaded not guilty, with her bail set at $25,000.
A preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for both defendants on December 3 in Department 31 of the Airport Courthouse. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Katherine Burgermyer of the Airport Branch Office. It remains under investigation by the Santa Monica Police Department.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Santa Monica Police Department Investigator Lantz Lewis at (310) 458-2201 ext. 5311, or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at (310) 458-8427.
SANTA MONICA—On Tuesday, September 30, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that the California Court of Appeal granted a petition to overturn a Superior Court ruling that allowed mental health diversion for a man accused of a vicious, racially charged assault in Santa Monica.
Job Uriah Taylor, 27, was arrested on March 3, 2023, after allegedly using a metal pipe to beat a man in an encampment adjacent to the 5th Street Expo station in Santa Monica. The unprovoked attack was the third of three assaults Taylor is accused of committing within the span of an hour.
Two of Taylor’s victims were hospitalized. Christian Hornburg, 64, was beaten with a pipe, and survived, but was severely injured with life-altering injuries.
The first attack transpired on the 1100 block of the beach. The suspect approached a man who was walking his dog. Taylor threatened him with a metal pipe and started yelling racial slurs at him.
Officers nearby and working on a separate project, overheard the attack and intervened. The suspect rode away on his bicycle in an unknown direction. The victim in this attack was not injured.
At around 7:50 a.m., another incident transpired on the north side of the train platform at 4th Street and Colorado Avenue. Taylor was seen attacking a male and female with the same pipe he used to threaten the first victim. While he was beating the victims in the head with the pipe he could be heard yelling racial slurs at them both.
Taylor was charged with attempted murder, three felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon (not a firearm), and one felony to count of assault with a deadly weapon with force resulting in great bodily injury. The charges include a hate crime enhancement, as Taylor was heard shouting racial slurs at his victims during the attacks. Following his arrest, the defendant claimed he had been sent to Santa Monica to target Black residents.
On March 12, 2025, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lana Kim granted Taylor entry into the County’s mental health diversion program instead of allowing the case to proceed to trial, where he faced a potential life sentence. The District Attorney’s Office appealed that ruling, arguing that Taylor posed an unreasonable risk to public safety.
In announcing their decision, the Court of Appeal agreed, emphasizing that Taylor’s history of abandoning treatment, had just been released from a psychiatric facility before committing the attacks, and presented an ongoing danger to the community. The Court found that there was no evidence he would follow through with voluntary treatment if granted diversion.
He will now face trial on the original charges, including attempted murder with a hate crime enhancement. Further proceedings/pretrial conference for this case are set for December 18, 2025, in Department 71 of the Airport Courthouse. If convicted as charged, he faces life in prison.
Case SA107988 is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Steve Dickman of the Hate Crimes Unit and is being investigated by the Santa Monica Police Department.
HOLLYWOOD—On Wednesday, September 4, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office disclosed that Christopher Hubbart will be released from the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) and a hearing to determine his placement will be held in October.
In March 2023, the Santa Clara County Superior Court against objections from the LADA’s Office granted the conditional release resulting in Hubbart coming back to Los Angeles. The Santa Clara Superior Court determined that Los Angeles County is to be Hubbart’s domicile, setting the stage for his potential release to the Los Angeles County area.
The decision transfers the responsibility of housing Hubbart to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, which will make the final decision as to where he is placed. Once Santa Clara County Superior Court granted conditional release, DSH and Liberty Healthcare, a health and human services management company, started the search for appropriate housing.
“Continuing to release sexually violent predators into underserved communities like the Antelope Valley is both irresponsible and unjust,” said District Attorney Gascón. “Repeatedly placing these individuals in the same community shows a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of our residents. Our deputy district attorneys will persist in opposing Mr. Hubbart’s placement in the Antelope Valley. We must demand more from our judicial system, ensuring decisions serve the best interests of our communities while exploring alternative locations for these placements.”
In 1973, 1982 and 1990, Hubbart, known as the “Pillowcase Rapist,” was convicted in Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties for a series of rapes and other sex crimes in the region. Before his release, the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office sought his civil commitment as a “Sexually Violent Predator” under the Sexually Violent Predator Act, resulting in his commitment to the Department of State Hospitals in 2000.
He would use pillowcases to muffle the screams of his victims. He admitted to more than 40 rapes during 1971 and 1982, several of those rapes transpired in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2014, Hubbart was released from Coalinga State Hospital to a home in the Antelope Valley. He has been required to wear a GPS ankle monitor since his release and adhere to random searches and a strict curfew.
The LADA’s Office notes on its website when an inmate who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense (qualifying conviction) is within six months of being paroled from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), they will be referred to the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) for a mental health evaluation by at least two experts who will opine whether the inmate meets the sexually violent predator (SVP) criteria.
In addition to the qualifying conviction, the SVP criterion requires a diagnosable mental disorder and the likelihood that the person will engage in acts of sexual violence without appropriate in-custody treatment for their mental disorder.
If DSH determines that an individual meets the SVP criteria, they will be referred to the Sexually Violent Predator Unit of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, who will determine whether to file a petition seeking civil commitment to a secure mental institution under the Welfare & Institutions Code. The SVP Unit is a unit of the Sex Crimes Division comprised of highly experienced and specially trained prosecutors who handle all aspects of the SVP commitments in court.
Once a court or jury finds a person to be an SVP beyond a reasonable doubt, the SVP is committed to DSH, where they can receive sex offender treatment. The SVP will remain committed to DSH until a court determines that they are either ready for community-based treatment (conditional release) under the supervision of DSH’s Conditional Release Program (CONREP) or no longer present a danger to the community (unconditional discharge).
A hearing to determine Hubbart’s placement location is scheduled on October 1 at 1:30 p.m. in Dept. 113 at the Hollywood Courthouse.
WESTWOOD/SANTA MONICA—On January 9, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, in collaboration with Culver City Police Chief Jason Sims and Long Beach Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Don Mauk, announced felony charges in two separate cases.
In the first case, out of Culver City, Marcos Maldonado was charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl at her Culver City home. In the second case, out of Long Beach, Martin Lopez was arrested for impersonating a police officer and accused of sexually assaulting and attempting to kidnap a woman.
“From the day this disturbing and tragic crime occurred, Culver City Police Department Investigators have worked tirelessly to solve this case,” said Culver City Police Chief Jason Sims. “I want to thank all our partners who worked alongside our detectives to ensure this suspect was identified and located as quickly as possible. Thank you to the LA Impact Task Force, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Crime Lab, the UCLA Santa Monica Rape Treatment Center, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for your partnership. I also want to thank the Culver City community, particularly the Blair Hills neighborhood for the continued support of the dedicated men and women of the Culver City Police Department who have worked diligently to seek justice for the victim in this case. We will continue to work in close collaboration with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office through the successful prosecution of this suspect.”
“Our personnel work tirelessly to keep Long Beach safe and to hold suspects responsible for crime committed in our city,” said Long Beach Chief of Police Wally Hebeish. “This arrest is a testament to our commitment to bringing justice to victims and getting dangerous suspects out of our community. We urge anyone who may have also been a victim of this suspect to please come forward and we stand ready to assist the District Attorney in the prosecution of this case.”
Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office.
Martin Lopez, 54, was arrested, not charged, for impersonating a police officer. It is further alleged that Lopez has previously been convicted of two or more serious and/or violent felonies. He is scheduled to be arraigned on January 24 in Dept. S01 at the Long Beach Courthouse.
On or about December 27, 2023, the victim was leaving a restaurant in Long Beach when she was allegedly approached by Lopez at her vehicle outside of the restaurant. He falsely identified himself as a police officer, showing the victim a badge. Lopez allegedly proceeded to sexually assault the woman under the guise of a “search.” He attempted to unsuccessfully command the victim get into his vehicle. At that time, Lopez was confronted by one of the multiple individuals who witnessed the incident.
He fled the scene and was arrested on January 4, 2024. Hi bail was set at $2,410,000. Lopez could face up to 77 years to life in prison. The case was investigated by the Long Beach Police Department.
Marcos Maldonado, 35, is charged in case 24ARCF00040 with two counts of forcible rape of a child under 14 years; one count of sodomy by use of force – victim under age 14; and two counts of sexual penetration by use of force of victim under 14.
It is further alleged that the offenses were committed, the victim was a child under 14 years of age. It also is alleged that the defendant committed the offenses during the commission of a burglary and engaged in the tying or binding of the victim.
Maldonado pleaded not guilty to all charges at an arraignment on January 8. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for February 15 in Dept. 31 at the Airport Courthouse.
On December 2, 2023, Maldonado allegedly broke into the 12-year-old victim’s home through an upstairs balcony during the early morning hours where he proceeded to sexually assault her over the course of three hours. He was identified by the victim in a six-pack photo line-up. His bail was set at $1,800,000 at his arraignment.
If convicted as charged, Maldonado will face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The case was investigated by the Culver City Police Department. It is believed that there may be more victims of both Lopez and Maldonado and they are asked to come forward. If anyone has details regarding Lopez they should call 562-570-7368. If anyone has details about Maldonado they should contact 310-253-6302 or email tips@culvercity.org.
BEVERLY HILLS—On Sunday, August 27, the Beverly Hills Police Department announced that three suspects were arrested and detained in the grand theft investigation that occurred in the 400 block of Rodeo Drive. The names of all of those in custody for the aforementioned crimes have not been released at this time.
Canyon News reached out to the police to find out more about the arrest but did not hear back in time for print.
On August 24, the Los Angeles Police Department notified the public of additional thefts in the area. According to the LAPD website, ORCTF made 11 arrests in four of the nine theft cases currently being invested by the newly Organized Retail Crime Taskforce (ORTC) which includes LAPD, Glendale Police Department, Beverly Hills Police Department, California Highway Patrol, along with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The following locations suffered at the hands of the suspects taken into custody by the ORTC.
The Versace Store (Beverly Center), located at 8500 Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, the Warehouse Shoe Store at 6251 York Boulevard in Highland Park, the Nordstrom store in the Topanga Mall located at 6600 Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Canoga Park, and the Yves Saint Laurent (The American Brand) located at 889 American Way in Glendale.
The ORTC encourages the public to get involved and report any information known on other retail thefts that you may know about in the area by calling the ORCTF, Detective Arnold at (818)374-9420.
During non-business hours or on the weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers on 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).
