That 70s Show star Danny Masterson received a sentence Thursday of 30 years to life in prison for raping two women in the early 2000s.
Danny Masterson Sentenced
Masterson was charged with raping three women — identified as Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, and Jane Doe 3 — at his home in the Hollywood Hills between 2001 and 2003. He was first brought to trial in January, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict and a mistrial was declared. The jury at his retrial in June found him guilty of raping Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, but could not reach a verdict on Jane Doe 3.
A Jane Doe 4 also accused Masterson and testified on behalf of the other women at the trial, but the actor was not charged with raping her. In both trials, Masterson did not take the stand, and his defense attorneys declined to call any witnesses.
Masterson had met the women through the Church of Scientology, of which he is still currently a member. The three women have since left the church, with two also filing a lawsuit against them for allegedly intimidating and threatening them for coming forward.
When Masterson was found guilty in June, Jane Doe 2 expressed her elation that both the actor and the Church of Scientology were finally held accountable.
“I am experiencing a complex array of emotions — relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness — knowing that my abuser, Danny Masterson, will face accountability for his criminal behavior," she said after the verdict. "I am disappointed that he was not convicted on all counts, but take great solace in the fact that he, the Church of Scientology, and others, will have to fully account for their abhorrent actions in civil court.”
Jane Doe 3 said that she was "devastated that he has dodged criminal accountability for his heinous conduct against me."
"Despite my disappointment in this outcome, I remain determined to secure justice, including in civil court, where I, along with my co-plaintiffs, will shine a light on how Scientology and other conspirators enabled and sought to cover up Masterson’s monstrous behavior,” she noted.
