Tiburon rapist rejected in bid for parole

A man sentenced for repeatedly raping a Tiburon woman after tying her up in her apartment in 1998 has been denied parole for at least five years.

Frederick Sidney Laird, 65, committed the crimes in 1998 after responding to a newspaper ad the woman had placed for a roommate. As the 25-year-old woman was showing him the apartment, he punched her, bound her with duct tape and raped her while holding a knife to her throat, authorities said.

After raping the victim several times, Laird dragged her into a closet, ate food from her kitchen and stole her car, the prosecution said. The woman eventually freed herself.

Police arrested Laird several days later outside a bar in Oceanside, San Diego County.

The Marin County District Attorney’s Office charged Laird with 12 felonies, including four counts of rape. The prosecution sought a lengthy sentence under the “three strikes law” because of Laird’s criminal record, which included kidnapping and vehicle theft.

The case went to trial the following year. The evidence included a videotaped confession during an interview with investigators.

“I did rape her,” he said. “It was a pretty violent struggle.”

Laird pleaded guilty shortly after the trial started and before the victim’s testimony. He admitted to 10 felonies.

A judge sentenced him to 251 years in state prison. In 2023, Laird sought a resentencing under a change in state law that allowed reduced terms for older inmates who had continuously served certain periods of time in prison.

Laird had his first parole hearing on Jan. 7 and received the five-year denial, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Laird is incarcerated at the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran.