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That ’70s Show Alum Danny Masterson Found Guilty of Rape
View Date:2024-12-23 15:15:32
Danny Masterson's rape retrial has reached an end.
The That '70s Show alum was found guilty of two counts of rape by a Los Angeles jury on May 31, according to NBC News. The jury could not reach a verdict on the third count.
Masterson was arrested and charged on three charges of forcible rape in 2020. Prosecutors alleged that Masterson sexually assaulted three women—who they said the actor met through the Church of Scientology—at his Hollywood Hills home in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003.
Masterson, who previously pled not guilty to the charges, now faces up to 30 years behind bars, according to NBC News. He was taken away from the courtroom in handcuffs as his wife Bijou Phillips cried, per the outlet.
The ruling comes six months after a mistrial was declared in Masterson's case, in which the jury was unable to reach unanimous decisions for the three rape charges. His new trial began in April, with his three accusers—identified as Jane Doe #1, Jane Doe #2 and Jane Doe #3—giving emotional testimonies, according to the Associated Press.
Masterson did not testify during the retrial, according to NBC News.
In the wake of Masterson's guilty verdict, Jane Doe #2 said in a statement outside of courtroom that she was feeling a "complex array of emotions," including "relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness," per NBC News.
She continued, "I am disappointed that he was not convicted on all counts, but take great solace in the fact that he, the Church of Scientology, and others, will have to fully account for their abhorrent actions in civil court."
The women had previously accused the Church of Scientology of pressuring them into not speaking to police about their allegations. The church denied their claims in a May 31 statement obtained by E! News June 1, noting that the organization "has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone—Scientologists or not—to law enforcement."
The statement continued, "There is not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers."
Jane Doe #3, whose rape charge the jury did not reach a verdict on, said she felt "devastated" that Masterson "dodged criminal accountability for his heinous conduct against me."
Masterson is being held without bail and is due back in court on Aug. 4 for a hearing, according to the Associated Press. No sentencing date has been set.
E! News reached out to Masterson's lawyers for comment and has not heard back.
For free, confidential help, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit rainn.org.veryGood! (8)
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