Danny Masterson found guilty
That ’70s Show star Danny Masterson was found guilty As Reported by Associated Press
In a Los Angeles retrial in which the Church of Scientology played a key role, a jury found “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson guilty of two out of three charges of rape.
A jury of seven women and five men reached the verdict after deliberating for seven days over two weeks. A verdict could not be reached on the third count, which alleged Masterson raped a longtime girlfriend. The jury had voted 8-4 in favor of conviction.
Masterson was handcuffed as he was led from the courtroom. Depending on the outcome of the trial, the 47-year-old actor could face up to 30 years in prison.
As he was led away, his wife, actress, and model Bijou Phillips, wept. The rest of the family and friends sat stone-faced.
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“I have a variety of emotions, including relief, exhaustion, strength, and sadness, as I await Danny Masterson’s trial for the rape he committed at his home in 2003,” said one of the victims.
The prosecution is retrying Masterson after a jury deadlock in December led to a mistrial, alleging he forced raped three women between 2001 and 2003. They told jurors he drugged the women to drink so he could rape them. They said he used his prominence in the church, where all three women were also members at the time, to avoid consequences for decades.
Image credit
Tyler Curtis from Chicago, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons