Current:Home > MarketsThat ’70s Show Alum Danny Masterson Found Guilty of Rape -WealthRise Academy
That ’70s Show Alum Danny Masterson Found Guilty of Rape
View
Date:2025-04-12 07:46:49
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! (7)
Related
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Hidden Walmart Fashion Finds TikTok Convinced Me Buy
- Strong winds topple stage at a campaign rally in northern Mexico, killing at least 9 people
- Kyle Larson faces additional obstacles to completing historic IndyCar/NASCAR double Sunday
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Kate Hudson reflects on marrying Chris Robinson when she was 21: 'Not a mistake'
- With Copilot+PC, Microsoft gives laptops a new AI shine
- The Flower Moon: What it means for Buddhists and astrologists
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Nvidia announces 10-for-1 stock split, revenue gains in first quarter earnings report
Ranking
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Princess Kate portrait courts criticism amid health update: 'Just bad'
- Supreme Court finds no bias against Black voters in a South Carolina congressional district
- Federal Reserve minutes: Policymakers saw a longer path to rate cuts
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Biden administration cancels $7.7 billion in student debt for 160,500 people. Here's who qualifies.
- Vancouver Canucks' Rick Tocchet wins Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year
- Harbor Freight digital coupons from USATODAY Coupons page can help you save
Recommendation
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Diversity jobs at North Carolina public universities may be at risk with upcoming board vote
Grieving chimpanzee carries around her dead baby for months at zoo in Spain
New secretary of state and construction authority leader confirmed by the New York Senate
North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
Man indicted after creating thousands of AI-generated child sex abuse images, prosecutors say
Who won 'Jeopardy! Masters'? After finale, tournament champ (spoiler) spills all
5 dead and nearly 3 dozen hurt in tornadoes that tore through Iowa, officials say