LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In a retrial on Wednesday, May 31, a jury in Los Angeles found actor Danny Masterson guilty of two counts of rape. The case revolved around allegations the 'That '70s Show' star assaulted three women between 2001 and 2003. The jury found in favor of two of Masterson's accusers. After more than a week of deliberation, the jury returned a judgment finding him guilty on two counts but wavering on the third.
Judge Charlaine F Olmedo ordered extra evidence to be heard in the second trial after the first trial ended in a mistrial. This evidence included testimony that Masterson had sedated his victims before sexually assaulting them. The Church of Scientology, of which Masterson is a member, emerged as a key player in the second trial. While a sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled, the next hearing for motions in the case is set for August 4.
What happens next?
The actor, who entered the courtroom free of charge and was led out in handcuffs, will likely receive a sentence of 30 years to life in jail. The actor will continue to be detained while he awaits his sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled, as reported by the Associated Press.
During the sentencing hearing, the women who Masterson is found guilty of raping might make victim impact statements, and the judge is probably going to hear from Masterson's supporters as well. Although they are certain to appeal, Masterson's attorneys didn't respond to the verdict right away.
What happened in the second trial?
In November 2022, the first trial was declared a mistrial because the jury was unable to settle on a verdict. Both Masterson and the three alleged victims are followers of Scientology. The three ladies agreed that at first, they were reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement because they believed that religious doctrines opposed coming forward to the authorities. Eventually, the women exited the church.
The major difference from the first trial is that the judge in the second trial enabled the prosecution to state unequivocally that Masterson drugged all three women before raping them. Previously, the drugging could only be inferred from the women's testimony about feeling confused, forgetting things, and being unconscious to an extent that could not be justified by the amount of alcohol they had taken.
"The defendant drugs his victims to gain control. He does this to take away his victims’ ability to consent," deputy district attorney Ariel Anson told the jury in her closing statement on May 16.
The defense, on the other hand, argued that the putative victims' accounts are contradictory and contended that the ladies had cooperated over time. They further stated that Scientology is "not a defendant" in the legal proceeding. "What happened after they were drugged? They were raped by this man over here, they were raped," stated Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller, pointing at Masterson.
What happened in the mistrial?
The month-long initial trial for Masterson began in October. Masterson appeared in court while out on bail and was accompanied by a number of people with ties to the Scientology and entertainment industries, including his wife, actor, and model Bijou Phillips.
Less than half of the jury ultimately decided to find the defendant guilty on all counts and jurors in the first trial deadlocked in November. The women agreed to testify once more after the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office chose to retry the case with a fresh group of jurors.
What role did Scientology play in Masterson's trial?
At Masterson's trial, the Church of Scientology featured prominently. With Judge Charlaine Olmedo permitting testimony from experts on Scientology that she had previously rejected, it played a significant part in his retrial.
Masterson is a well-known churchgoer. All three of his accusers are former churchgoers who left the organization after their claimed assaults because church leaders informed them what had happened wasn't assault and the church's rules forbade them from reporting the incidents to the authorities. The church adamantly refuted the existence of such a policy.
This greatly contributed to the explanation of why it took the women so long to come forth. Ariel Anson for Los Angeles County, testified throughout the trial that three women had been intimidated and dissuaded by church leaders from reporting their allegations to the police. On June 17, 2020, Masterson was finally accused of the rape charges.
