Danny Masterson, the actor famous for his role in “That ’70s Show,” has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the violent rape of two women.
His arrest in 2020 followed accusations of assaulting three women between 2001 and 2003 in his Hollywood Hills residence. While his first trial concluded in November 2022 with a deadlocked jury on all counts, a subsequent retrial reached a verdict on May 12, 2023, finding Masterson guilty of two counts of forcible rape. The third rape charge did not result in a unanimous decision.
Masterson, aged 47, will spend a significant portion of his life behind bars, effectively becoming a septuagenarian by the time he is released. The sentencing, which took place in a California courtroom, saw Judge Charlaine Olmedoe delivering a 15-year sentence for each of the two rape counts, to be served consecutively. The judge emphasised the importance of Masterson confronting the consequences of his actions.
During this trial, the victims had the opportunity to make their voices heard. One victim, N Trout, acknowledged Masterson’s violent tendencies in her impact statement but also extended forgiveness and expressed hope for his rehabilitation while incarcerated. She urged him to seek personal growth and learn from his actions, underscoring the fragility of life.
The other victim, Jen B, used her statement to refute any conspiracy theories, stating that there was no plot to bring down Masterson or the Church of Scientology. She clarified that actress Leah Remini was not behind the accusations and emphasised that Masterson’s celebrity and affiliation with the church should not exempt him from accountability.
Prosecutors argued that Masterson leveraged his fame and status within the Church of Scientology, of which the victims were also members, to evade legal repercussions. The victims testified that they had been given drinks by Masterson, causing them to lose consciousness, after which he committed violent assaults. Shockingly, when the women reported these crimes to Scientology officials, they were told they had not been raped and were subjected to an ethics program. These officials also discouraged them from involving the police due to Masterson’s elevated status within the church.
Throughout the trial, Masterson maintained his innocence but did not testify in court, and his legal team did not present any witnesses. The defence argued that the sexual encounters were consensual and alleged that the women had coordinated their stories to discredit the former Hollywood star. While Masterson was convicted on two counts of rape, the third count, which alleged an assault on his longtime girlfriend, Christina Bixler, resulted in a hung jury.
It’s worth noting that Masterson was never charged with drugging the victims, and there was no toxicology evidence to corroborate their claims. This aspect is expected to play a significant role in Masterson’s planned appeal.
The Church of Scientology issued a statement responding to the allegations, dismissing the women’s testimonies as “uniformly false.” They asserted that the Church has no policy discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct to law enforcement.
Image by LUCY NICHOLSON //
Credit: REUTERS
