Current:Home > ScamsThat ’70s Show Alum Danny Masterson Found Guilty of Rape -Blueprint Money Mastery
That ’70s Show Alum Danny Masterson Found Guilty of Rape
View
Date:2025-04-17 21:34:24
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! (4872)
Related
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Ian McKellen talks new movie, bad reviews and realizing 'you're not immortal'
- Travis Kelce Reacts to Jason Kelce’s ESPN Debut Exactly as a Brother Would
- From Amy Adams to Demi Moore, transformations are taking awards season by storm
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Aaron Rodgers will make his return to the field for the Jets against the 49ers
- MTV VMAs: Riskiest Fashion Moments of All Time
- Nevada GOP politician who ran for state treasurer headed toward trial in fundraising fraud case
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- 'Harry Potter' HBO TV series casting children for roles of Harry, Ron, Hermione
Ranking
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Peter Frampton finally finds Rock & Roll Hall of Fame doors open to him
- Mark Hamill, LeVar Burton and more mourn James Earl Jones
- 'Harry Potter' HBO TV series casting children for roles of Harry, Ron, Hermione
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Alanis Morissette, Nia Long, Kyrie Irving celebrate 20 years of 3.1 Phillip Lim at NYFW
- Heart reschedules tour following Ann Wilson's cancer treatment. 'The best is yet to come!'
- Cleveland Browns sign former Giants, Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney to practice squad
Recommendation
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Beyoncé talks music, whiskey, family — and why no 'Cowboy Carter' visuals — in GQ
Where Selena Gomez Stands With BFF Taylor Swift Amid Rumors About Their Friendship
Manhunt continues for Joseph Couch, Kentucky man accused of I-75 shooting rampage
San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
‘Appalling Figures’: At Least Three Environmental Defenders Killed Per Week in 2023
Heidi Klum Reveals Some of the Items Within Her “Sex Closet”
How to measure heat correctly, according to scientists, and why it matters