Current:Home > InvestThat ’70s Show Alum Danny Masterson Found Guilty of Rape -CapitalCourse
That ’70s Show Alum Danny Masterson Found Guilty of Rape
View
Date:2025-04-19 08:54:14
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! (753)
Related
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- See the Photos of Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods' Surprise Reunion After Scandal
- Ariana Grande Gives Glimpse Into Life in London After Dalton Gomez Breakup
- Virtual Power Plants Are Coming to Save the Grid, Sooner Than You Might Think
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Black Friday Price in July: Save $195 on a Margaritaville Bali Frozen Concoction Maker
- In the Florida Panhandle, a Black Community’s Progress Is Threatened by a Proposed Liquified Natural Gas Plant
- Secretive State Climate Talks Stir Discontent With Pennsylvania Governor
- Average rate on 30
- Colorado Frackers Doubled Freshwater Use During Megadrought, Even as Drilling and Oil Production Fell
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Log and Burn, or Leave Alone? Indiana Residents Fight US Forest Service Over the Future of Hoosier National Forest
- With Revenue Flowing Into Its Coffers, a German Village Broadens Its Embrace of Wind Power
- Clean Energy Experts Are Stretched Too Thin
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- CBS New York Meteorologist Elise Finch Dead at 51
- Why Teen Mom's Maci Bookout Didn't Think She'd Ever Get to a Good Place With Ex Ryan Edwards
- Clean Energy Experts Are Stretched Too Thin
Recommendation
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
Residents Oppose a Planned Lithium Battery Storage System Next to Their Homes in Maryland’s Prince George’s County
Shell Sued Over Air Emissions at Pennsylvania’s New Petrochemical Plant
Nearly 1 in 5 Americans Live in Communities With Harmful Air Quality, Study Shows
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
Princess Charlotte Makes Adorable Wimbledon Debut as She Joins Prince George and Parents in Royal Box
Madewell's High Summer Event: Score an Extra 25% off on Summer Staples Like Tops, Shorts, Dresses & More
Meet the Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner: All the Details on the 71-Year-Old's Search for Love