That 70's Show star Danny Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted of rape. The actor was convicted on two of three forcible rape charges in May 2023. He has always maintained his innocence.
Danny, a member of the Church of Scientology, was accused of raping three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. The jury convicted him of the rape of two women but did not reach a verdict on an allegation from November 2001 involving a former girlfriend.
“Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s voice and choice. Your actions 20 years ago were criminal, and that is why you are here,” Judge Charlaine Olmedo said in the courtroom on Thursday September 7.
© LUCY NICHOLSONHe was sentenced to 15 years to life on each of the two charges, and the Judge ordered them to be served consecutively.
His wife, Bijou Phillips, was seen crying at the courthouse, and his brothers and sisters, all also Hollywood actors, were in attendance; half-siblings Alanna Masterson and Christopher Masterson appeared in The Walking Dead and Malcolm In the Middle respectively, and brother Jordan Masterson starred in Last Man Standing. Half-brother Will is a Hollywood producer.
It was the second trial after the first trial ended in November 2022 with hung jury. The judge opted to re-try the case with a new set of jurors.
In the second trial, the prosecution argued that the women had been drugged; originally, although the women testified that they had little to no memory after taking a drink prepared by Danny at the time of the incident, they did not clearly state that he had drugged them.
© Myung J. ChunAt the sentencing in Los Angeles' downtown court, Jane Doe 1 called the 47-year-old actor “a true coward and heartless monster," as Jane Doe 2 spoke directly to Danny, who was in the courtroom.
"I still have to contend with what you did to me that night… That takes a life’s worth of therapy to repair. Every time I think I’m okay, that rape comes back to me," she said.
Jane Doe 3 revealed she has been diagnosed with PTSD.
© FOXThe three women are all former scientologists, and Leah Remini - one of the most outspoken former members of the church - was seated in the front row of the sentence hearing.
During the sentencing and their own testimony, the women all claimed that the church dissuaded them from reporting the actor to the police.
© Michael StewartJane Doe 1, who was born into the church as both of her parents were members, said during her victim impact statement that she followed church “policy” and did not report her alleged rape to outside authorities.
“There are consequences,” she said. “It was the only community I knew my whole life until I was raped by Mr. Masterson… Danny was a celebrity and therefore, heavily protected by Scientology."
Jane Doe 2 said on Thursday that she was a “brainwashed member” of Scientology at the time of her assault, and alleged that there had been “concerted efforts” to cover up Danny's behavior.
“I don’t have to carry around your shame around with me. Now, you have to carry it. You have to sit in a cell and carry it,” she concluded. “Your emptiness and your cowardice will be your true legacy. You are pathetic, disturbed and extremely violent. The world is safer with you behind bars.”
© John ShearerThat 70s Show ran for eight years between 1998 and 2006, and focused on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin in the late 1970s. Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, and Wilmer Valderra all starred alongside Danny.
He married Bijou, the daughter of John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas and his third wife, Geneviève Waïte, in 2011. They welcomed their daughter in 2014.
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