Jury finds Danny Masterson guilty on 2 counts in rape retrial
Written by ABC AUDIO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on May 31, 2023
A Los Angeles jury has found former That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson guilty of two counts of forcible rape in a retrial of a case involving three women.
The third count involving Jane Doe 3 has been declared a mistrial.
The jury reached its verdict Wednesday afternoon after deliberating since May 17.
Masterson, 47, pleaded not guilty to three counts of felony rape following accusations by three different women, including a former girlfriend. The alleged attacks took place between 2001 and 2003.
He faced 45 years to life in prison if convicted on all three charges.
The first trial ended in a mistrial in November 2022, with the jury deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict.
The three alleged victims were members of the Church of Scientology, as is Masterson. All three women said they were initially hesitant to speak to law enforcement because church teachings discouraged reporting to police. The women eventually left the church.
Masterson, who was arrested in 2020, said each of the encounters was consensual. That ’70s Show was still on the air at the time of all three alleged rapes.
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