That ‘70s Show actor Danny Masterson found guilty of rape, faces 30 years to life in prison
- US actor Danny Masterson taken into custody after being found guilty of two counts of rape in a retrial
- The case drew attention in part because Masterson met the women through the Church of Scientology
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US actor and Scientologist Danny Masterson on Wednesday was found guilty of raping two women at his home in the Hollywood Hills.
The star of television’s That ‘70s Show and The Ranch was convicted of two counts of forcible rape between 2001 and 2003, while jurors at a Los Angeles courthouse said they were deadlocked on a third rape charge.
It was the second rape trial for Masterson, after previous proceedings were declared a mistrial last November when a different jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision.
Masterson was taken into custody following the verdict, and is awaiting sentencing. He could face 30 years to life in prison.
The actor, now 47, rose to fame with the 1998 launch of retro sitcom That ‘70s Show, where he played the character of Steven Hyde alongside fellow stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher.
He co-starred again with Kutcher on Netflix’s The Ranch, but was fired in 2017 and written off the show after Los Angeles police confirmed they were investigating multiple rape allegations against the actor.
Prosecutors at the time dropped two further sexual assault cases against Masterson over lack of evidence and the statute of limitations passing.
During closing arguments earlier this month, prosecutors said Masterson “drugged and raped each one of these victims” and called on the jury to hold him “accountable for what he has done.”
The three alleged victims were also members of the Church of Scientology at the time, and Masterson met them through the secretive group. Two of them said church officials had discouraged them from contacting law enforcement.
The Church of Scientology has rejected that claim.
“The church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone, Scientologists or not, to law enforcement,” according to a statement cited by City News Service.
Masterson’s lawyers in his closing argument questioned why the court had heard “so much about Scientology”, and the defence has suggested that bias against the church could have been a motivating factor.
Actor Leah Remini, a former member who has become the church’s highest-profile critic, sat in on the trial at times, putting her arm around one of the accusers to comfort her during closing arguments.
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Remini said on Twitter that the two guilty verdicts in the retrial are “a relief. The women who survived Danny Masterson’s predation are heroes. For years, they and their families have faced vicious attacks and harassment from Scientology and Danny’s well-funded legal team,” she posted. “Nevertheless, they soldiered on, determined to seek justice.”
The alleged harassment, which the church denies engaging in, is the subject of a civil lawsuit filed by two of the accusers.
The jury deliberated around seven days. The third rape charge, on which no verdict was reached, involved a former longtime girlfriend of Masterson.
Additional reporting by Associated Press and Reuters
