Police Find Violent Rapist Hiding Under Mattress

Sheriff’s deputies in Palmdale found a 43-year-old paroled sex offender hiding under under a mattress in a Palmdale home.

Joseph Serapiglia, who deputies said cut off a GPS monitoring device and was last seen in Panorama City Friday, was arrested about 2:45 a.m. in the 36000 block of Auburn Court by deputies checking out a burglar alarm, sheriff’s Sgt. David Sauer said.

“The deputies responded to an audible alarm and when they arrived they contacted a 40-year-old Adrian Madrigal at the location, who seemed to have trouble answering the deputies questions as to why he was there,” Sauer said. “The deputies then detained Mr. Madrigal and continued to search the location.”

Sauer said that Serapiglia was found hiding under a mattress.

“Mr. Serapiglia gave the deputies several phony names at first but finally they discovered that he was the parolee which law enforcement had been searching for,” Sauer said.

“Serapiglia was taken directly to court to answer his outstanding felony warrant and he will be transferred to county jail after court is finished with him,” Sauer continued. “Madrigal was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance.”

Sauer said the investigation was continuing and he did not yet know what if any relationship existed between the two men or if Madrigal helped hide Serapiglia.

In 1991, Serapiglia was sentenced to 42 years in prison for rape and attempted murder. On April 16, 2014 he was paroled to live in the city of San Fernando.

• City News Service