Current:Home > InvestDanny Masterson Sentenced to 30 Years to Life in Prison in Rape Case -TrueNorth Capital Hub
Danny Masterson Sentenced to 30 Years to Life in Prison in Rape Case
View
Date:2025-04-19 15:13:20
Danny Masterson will serve time behind bars in connection to his rape conviction.
Three months after a jury found the That '70s Show alum guilty of two counts of rape, a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge has sentenced the 47-year-old to 30 years to life in prison, according to NBC News.
In May, Masterson—who was arrested and charged on three counts of forcible rape in 2020—was found guilty of raping two women between 2001 and 2003 at his Hollywood Hills home, with the jury unable to reach a verdict on a third count alleging he raped a former girlfriend, per NBC News.
Prosecutors alleged that Masterson sexually assaulted three women—who they said The Ranch actor met through the Church of Scientology—at his Hollywood Hills home in separate incidents. The verdict came six months after a mistrial was declared in Masterson's case, in which the jury was unable to reach unanimous decisions on the three rape charges.
His new trial began earlier this year, in which his three accusers, identified as Jane Doe #1, Jane Doe #2 and Jane Doe #3, each gave emotional testimonies, according to the Associated Press.
The women previously accused the Church of Scientology of pressuring them into not reporting the allegations to police. However, the church denied those claims in a June 1 statement obtained by E! News, saying that the organization "has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone—Scientologists or not—to law enforcement."
Masterson, who previously pled not guilty to the charges, did not testify during the retrial, per NBC News. After his verdict, according to the outlet, the Men at Work actor was taken away from the courtroom in handcuffs as his wife Bijou Phillips shed tears.
In response to the guilty verdict, Jane Doe #2 said in a statement outside of the courtroom at the time that she was feeling a "complex array of emotions," per NBC News, including "relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness," adding that she was "disappointed that he was not convicted on all counts."
"But take great solace in the fact that he, the Church of Scientology, and others," she continued, "will have to fully account for their abhorrent actions in civil court."
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."
E! News reached out to Masterson's attorneys for comment and has not heard back.
(E! and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
For free, confidential help, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit rainn.org.veryGood! (22174)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Defrocked in 2004 for same-sex relationship, a faithful Methodist is reinstated as pastor
- Hunter Biden seeks delay in federal tax trial set to begin in Los Angeles next month
- Savor Every Photo From Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's Blissful Wedding Weekend in Italy
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- UN maritime tribunal says countries are legally required to reduce greenhouse gas pollution
- Detroit could be without Black representation in Congress again with top candidate off the ballot
- As New York’s Offshore Wind Work Begins, an Environmental Justice Community Is Waiting to See the Benefits
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- More endangered Florida panthers have died in 2024 so far than all of last year: These roadkills are heartbreaking
Ranking
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Surprise attack by grizzly leads to closure of a Grand Teton National Park mountain
- Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of 2003 sexual assault in lawsuit
- As Trump Media reported net loss of more than $320 million, share prices fell 13%
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Lawsuit says ex-Officer Chauvin kneeled on woman’s neck, just as he did when he killed George Floyd
- UN halts all food distribution in Rafah after running out of supplies in the southern Gaza city
- Asian American, Pacific Islander Latinos in the US see exponential growth, new analysis says
Recommendation
The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
Hawaii officials stress preparedness despite below-normal central Pacific hurricane season outlook
Sebastian Stan and Annabelle Wallis Make Marvelously Rare Red Carpet Appearance
'Bachelor' alum Colton Underwood and husband expecting first baby together
The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
He traced his stolen iPhone to the wrong home and set it on fire killing 5. Now, he faces prison.
South Africa election: How Mandela’s once revered ANC lost its way with infighting and scandals
Russia begins nuclear drills in an apparent warning to West over Ukraine