Danny Masterson, known for his role in ‘That ’70s Show,’ has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rape of two women two decades ago. The Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Charlaine F. Olmedo, delivered the sentencing after rejecting a defense motion for a new trial. Masterson had been in custody since May.
The victim impact statements were heard before the sentencing. One of the victims, who Masterson was convicted of raping in 2003, expressed the emotional toll of the assault, stating, “When you raped me, you stole from me. That’s what rape is, a theft of the spirit.” She described Masterson as “pathetic, disturbed, and completely violent,” and added, “The world is better off with you in prison.”
The other victim Masterson was found guilty of raping noted that he had not shown any remorse for the pain he caused. She wished she had reported him to the police sooner and emphasized the importance of his imprisonment for the safety of all women he might come into contact with.
Masterson, who watched the proceedings without visible reaction, was found guilty of two counts of rape by a jury consisting of seven women and five men. Both assaults occurred in Masterson’s Hollywood-area home in 2003. A third count, an allegation of rape of a longtime girlfriend, did not result in a unanimous verdict from the jury.
The verdict came in a second trial after a mistrial was declared in December when a jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of forcible rape. The prosecution sought the full 30-year to life sentence, while the defense requested sentences for the two convictions to run concurrently and asked for a sentence of 15 years to life.
Masterson was accused of using his affiliation with the Church of Scientology, to which all three women also belonged at the time, to evade consequences for his actions for decades. The victims expressed hesitation to go to the police due to their involvement with the church, as they believed the church would not support them. They testified that when they reported the rapes to Scientology officials, they were told they had not been raped and were subjected to ethics programs themselves, discouraging them from seeking law enforcement assistance.
The church issued a statement denying these claims and asserting that the “testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs” during the trial were “uniformly false.” The church also stated that it has no policy against members reporting criminal conduct to law enforcement.
Masterson did not testify during the trial, and his defense did not call any witnesses. The defense argued that the sexual acts were consensual and attempted to undermine the credibility of the victims by pointing out changes and inconsistencies in their stories over time, suggesting coordination between them.
The women testified that in 2003, Masterson had given them drinks that caused them to become woozy or pass out before the sexual assaults took place.
While Masterson was not charged with drugging, the issue could become a factor in a planned appeal of his conviction. The Associated Press typically does not name sexual abuse survivors.
Masterson is best known for his role in ‘That ’70s Show,’ where he starred alongside Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and Topher Grace from 1998 to 2006. He later reunited with Kutcher for the Netflix comedy series ‘The Ranch’ in 2016 but was written off the show in 2017 after an LAPD investigation was revealed. Masterson’s conviction marks a significant #MeToo era success for Los Angeles prosecutors, alongside the conviction of Harvey Weinstein last year.