A Los Angeles jury has found former “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson guilty of two counts of forced rape in a retrial of a case involving three women.
The third count against Jane Doe 3 was declared a mistrial.
The jury reached its verdict this 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 an ex-girlfriend. The alleged attacks took place between 2001 and 2003.
He faces 45 years to life in prison if convicted on all three charges.
Masterson was deemed a potential flight risk and remanded in custody following sentencing. He walked out of the courthouse in handcuffs.
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 was Masterson. The three women said they were initially hesitant to talk to law enforcement because they said church teachings discourage reporting to the police. The women eventually left the church.
A woman said the actor pushed a pillow over her face in 2003 while raping her.
Another woman, Jane Doe 3, who was dating Masterson at the time, said he raped her in 2001 while she was sleeping. She and Jane Doe 2 are also involved in a related civil lawsuit against Masterson and the Church of Scientology.
Following the jury’s decision, Jane Doe 3 said she was “devastated” by the mistrial on her count.
“I thank the jury for its service, and while I am encouraged that Danny Masterson will face some criminal penalties, I am saddened that he is avoiding criminal responsibility for his heinous behavior against me,” said Jane Doe 3 in a statement issued by her attorneys, Boies Schiller Flexner. “Despite my disappointment in this outcome, I remain determined to obtain justice, including in civil court, where I, along with my co-plaintiffs, will shed light on how Scientology enabled and sought to conspirators to cover up Masterson’s egregious behavior.”
Jane Doe 2, also represented by Boies Schiller Flexner, said she was also disappointed that Masterson was not convicted on all three counts.
“I’m experiencing a complex range of emotions — relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness — knowing that my abuser, Danny Masterson, will face accountability for his criminal behavior,” Jane said. Doe 2 in a statement. “I am disappointed that he was not convicted on all counts, but take great comfort in the fact that he, the Church of Scientology and others will have to fully account for their heinous actions in the civil court.”
In opening statements of the new trial in late April, prosecutors said evidence would show the women were also drugged — a detail not directly mentioned in the first trial but allowed by the judge in the retrial. They also introduced a fourth woman who said Masterson drugged and raped her in 2000.
Meanwhile, the defense countered that the stories of the alleged victims were inconsistent and suggested that the women conspired over time. They also added that Scientology is “not a defendant” in the case.
During closing arguments, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told the jury that the women were “absolutely devastated” after drinking a small amount, and that the “reasonable explanation” was that they were drugged, the ABC station Los Angeles KABC reported.
“What happened after they were drugged? They were raped by this man over here, they were raped,” Mueller said as he pointed at Masterson.
In his closing argument, defense attorney Philip Cohen told the jury that the women may have “tweaked or manipulated” their stories to strengthen their case, and that they may have been motivated by “hate , revenge or money,” KABC reported.
Shortly after the jury was dismissed to begin deliberations on May 17, the defense requested a mistrial — arguing that prosecutors spent too much of their closing arguments on the alleged drugging of the suspects. victim, according to KABC.
Judge Charlaine Olmedo denied the request, citing her ruling that prosecutors could argue that the women were drugged because it was “directly related to their ability to see the events of the charged incidents,” KABC reported.
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.
The Church of Scientology previously told ABC News that “there is no policy that prohibits or encourages members to report criminal conduct by Scientologists, or anyone else, to law enforcement. … The policy of Church explicitly requires Scientologists to obey all laws of the land.”
Actress and prominent former Scientology member Leah Remini was among those in the courtroom during the trial, telling ABC News she was there to support the “brave” women.
The defense requested that Remini be removed from the courtroom at the start of the trial, which the judge denied.
