Jurors in Redwood City are set to decide whether convicted kidnapper Cameron Hooker should be legally branded a sexually violent predator, a label that could keep him locked in state custody indefinitely instead of giving him any shot at parole.
The San Mateo County Superior Court trial is scheduled to open at 9 a.m. next Monday at the Hall of Justice in Redwood City, where prosecutors will argue that Hooker, the man at the center of the infamous “Girl in the Box” case, still poses a serious threat to the public if released.
As reported by Action News Now, the proceeding is expected to feature dueling expert witnesses and psychological evaluations aimed at proving Hooker meets California’s strict sexually violent predator criteria. Prosecutors pursued the SVP petition to cut off any path to parole or conditional release.
What The Jury Will Decide
Under California law, jurors must unanimously find beyond a reasonable doubt that a person facing an SVP petition has qualifying prior sex convictions and a diagnosed mental disorder that makes them likely to commit new sexually violent crimes.
If the jury returns a “true” finding, the court can commit Hooker to the custody of the Department of State Hospitals for an indeterminate term instead of sending him out on parole. The standards for SVP findings are set out in California Welfare & Institutions Code 76604, as compiled by Justia.
The Original Case
Colleen Stan was 20 years old in May 1977 when she accepted a ride and was abducted. She later told investigators she was kept for years in horrifying conditions, including long stretches confined in a wooden box under a bed, and subjected to repeated abuse over roughly seven years.
Her ordeal turned into one of California’s most chilling true-crime stories, spawning books, documentaries, and national media coverage. Stan has consistently urged officials to keep Hooker locked up. Her account and her life after escape are detailed in coverage by People.
Hooker was tried and convicted in 1985 on charges including kidnapping and sexual assault. At the time, contemporary coverage described lengthy consecutive prison terms and sentence enhancements that added up to decades behind bars, according to the original trial reporting in the Los Angeles Times.
Venue And Scheduling
The SVP case has been bounced around the calendar and the map, delayed and relocated in part because of intense pretrial publicity. Court filings and scheduling orders have stretched the timeline far beyond a typical hearing.
Local coverage indicates the jury trial date is set for Jan. 26 in San Mateo County, with multiple days expected for testimony from expert witnesses and competing mental health evaluations. Action News Now has noted recent continuances and the change of venue to Redwood City.
What To Expect In Court
The hearings are scheduled at the Hall of Justice and Records, 400 County Center in Redwood City 6063, the Superior Court’s southern branch that handles major criminal and civil matters.
Members of the public may be allowed to attend, subject to routine security screening and whatever seating limits the presiding judge sets. Reporters can typically request access, but cameras and recording equipment are often tightly controlled in sensitive cases like this.
For updated courtroom locations, hours, and security policies, the court directs visitors to the Superior Court of San Mateo County.
Legal Implications
If jurors decide Hooker is a sexually violent predator, the court would commit him to the Department of State Hospitals for treatment and secure confinement until a judge later finds he no longer meets SVP criteria. The law also provides for periodic reviews and narrow, highly supervised paths to conditional release for a small number of committed SVPs.
State reports and audits describe how the Department of State Hospitals manages those commitments, and the conditional release (CONREP) program for the rare individuals allowed back into the community. See Justia and the California State Auditor's review of SVP conditional release for more details.
The Hooker case ties a decades-old crime to modern civil commitment law, with a Redwood City jury now holding the question of whether he remains in locked treatment beyond any parole eligibility. We will continue to monitor filings and court notices as the trial moves forward and report on significant developments.
