Danny Masterson is an actor best known for his appearance on the comedy “That ’70s Show.”
On Wednesday, he was found guilty of raping two women by a jury in Los Angeles.
The case gained widespread attention due to allegations. The Church of Scientology attempted to discourage his accusers.
The actor who played Steven Hyde on “That ’70s Show” from 1998 to 2006. Danny is accused of sexually assaulting three women at his house in Hollywoods Hill.
It was between 2001 and 2003, as stated by the prosecuting attorneys.
He was claim of the crime in 2020 and entered a not-guilty plea. According to his defense team, the attorneys had no immediate statement following the verdict handed down on Wednesday.
Who is Danny Masterson?
Born on March 13, 1976, Danny Masterson is a renowned American actor with notable performances in “That ’70s Show” (1998-2006) and “The Ranch” (2016-2018). The character of Steven Hyde defined his career, bringing him much-deserved fame and recognition.
In May 2023, he was found guilty of two counts of forceful rape. But the jury could not reach a verdict on the third count. Thus the case was dismissed.
Masterson began his career as a child model when he was four. He appeared in magazine articles and television ads when he was five.
At eight, Masterson began his acting career and starred in musicals. His singing voice essentially “disappeared” when he was a teenager.
When he was 16 years old, he had already been in more than one hundred advertisements, some of which were for brands such as Frosted Flakes from Kellogg’s, Hostess, Tang, and Clearasil.
Allegations that the Church of Scientology made an effort to dissuade the individuals who leveled allegations of sexual misconduct against a star of the sitcom “That ’70s Show” attracted extensive attention to the issue.
What happened exactly?
During the retrial of a case that originally involved three different women, a jury in Los Angeles found that former “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson was guilty of two counts of forced rape.
A mistrial about the third count brought against Jane Doe 3 has been declared.
The jury finally decided and delivered their judgment on 17 May. That was after debating for six days.
Masterson is 47 years old. He has a not-guilty plea to all three charges. The attacks occurred during the years 2001 and 2003.
He will face 30 years to lifetime jail if convicted. The day of August 4 has been set aside for the sentencing hearing.
Following the announcement of the verdict, Masterson was remanded into custody because he posed a potential flight risk. Handcuffs restrained him as he left the courthouse.
According to the filing, Masterson sexually assaulted a second woman in April 2003 after giving her a red vodka drink.
The victim’s name is only given as Jen B. Approximately twenty to thirty minutes later; she reported feeling “very disoriented,” according to the brief.
It is said in the document that Masterson sexually assaulted her. That happened she was lying on his bed. She attempted to assault him by shoving a pillow into his face. And reaching for his hair to get him off her.
When Masterson heard a guy yelling inside the house, he retrieved a gun from his nightstand. And instructed the woman not to move or to “say anything.” Adding expletives to his instructions, she moved. He then threatened to shoot her.
After asking the church for permission to report the rape, Jen B. received a written response from the church’s international chief justice, which cited a policy letter from 1965 on “suppressive acts,” according to the brief. Jen B. was denied permission to report the rape.
She interpreted the response to mean that if she were to denounce another Scientologist to the authorities, “I would be declared a suppressive person, and I would be out of my family and friend circle and everything I have,” she said.
Despite this, she went to the police in June of 2004 and reported that she had been raped, according to the document.
The first trial of the case
The first trial, which took place in November 2022, was declared a mistrial since the jury could not decide due to being deadlocked.
Masterson and the two individuals accused of being victims are members of the Church of Scientology.
Only in the first trial did the prosecutors raise the notion that Masterson had given the ladies drugs.
They testified that the women had experienced disorientation and confusion after Masterson had given them alcoholic drinks.
According to a trial brief submitted by the District Attorney’s Office of Los Angeles County in September, Christina B. had reported the rape to the church’s “ethics officer” or “master at arms.”
Who had told her, “You can’t rape someone you’re in a relationship with,” and “Don’t say that word again.”
Victims statements
The two women agreed that, at first, they were afraid to talk with law enforcement because, according to their accounts, religious beliefs opposed reporting to the police.
After some time, the women departed from the chapel.
One of the women alleged that the actor raped her in 2003 and then put a pillow into her face as he was doing it.
Another woman, identified only as Jane Doe 3, has come forward to accuse Masterson of molesting her while she slept in 2001.
She was dating Masterson at the time. She and another person, Jane Doe 2, are defendants in a separate civil action brought against Masterson and the Church of Scientology.
Another accuser, who was only known as Christina B. in the court filings, said in the same statement that she was “devastated” that the jury had reached a deadlock on the accusation that Masterson had raped her in 2001 when they were in a relationship.
This accuser claimed that Masterson had sexually assaulted her when they were together.
“Despite my disappointment in this outcome, I remain determined to secure justice,” she stated, “including in civil court.”
“In civil court, along with my co-plaintiffs, we will shine a light on how Scientology and other conspirators enabled and sought to cover up Masterson’s monstrous behavior,”
She added. “Despite my disappointment in this outcome, I remain determined to secure justice.”
Los Angele County District Attorney took Masterson’s custody
According to the Los Angele County District Attorney’s Office, the jury could not decide the claim that Masterson had raped a third woman.
In November, a jury could not unanimously decide on any of the three accusations, which led to the trial being declared a mistrial.
He was found guilty of two counts of rape by force or terror after the retrial, which lasted for more than a moment, and the jury debated for more than a week before reaching their verdict.
Following the announcement of the verdict, Masterson, who is 47 years old, was brought into custody.
In the second trial, prosecutors were permitted to explicitly advise jurors that Masterson had drugged his two victims, according to Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo. This was even though both cases centered on identical charges.
Masterson’s attorney, Philip Cohen, had maintained that the women’s testimonies did not match one another, that there was no physical proof of drugging, and that there was “no evidence of forces or violence,” among other things.
“I am experiencing a complex array of emotions — relief, exhaustion, strength, and sadness — knowing that my abuser, Danny Masterson, will face accountability for his criminal behavior.”
In court records, one of Masterson’s accusers, who is only known as N. Trout, said that a public relations company fired the attorneys she had hired to represent her in a case against Masterson and the Church of Scientology. Masterson and the Church of Scientology are the targets of this case.
Los Angele County District Attorney Masterson sentenced to thirty years
According to the district attorney’s office, when he is sentenced on August 4, he could receive anywhere from thirty years to life in state prison.
As court records, two of the women have claimed that they were discouraged from reporting the rapes to law authorities. Because they were members of the Church of Scientology. Masterson was also a member at the time of the alleged crimes.
This has caused to be keenly monitored. The church has vehemently refuted allegations that it puts victims under pressure.
In church said it “has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone, Scientologists or not, to law enforcement.”
“Quite the opposite,” stated the statement. “Per Church policy, Scientologists are expected to obey all local, state, and federal laws at all times.”
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