Danny Masterson, who once starred on the forever-tainted sitcom That ’70s Show, has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo handed down the sentence on Thursday after hearing statements from both women about the trauma and suffering they have experienced in the two decades since they were raped.
“When you raped me, you stole from me. That’s what rape is, a theft of the spirit. You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent,” said one woman who Masterson was convicted of raping in 2003. “The world is better off with you in prison.”
The second woman Masterson raped said he “has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused.” She added, “I knew he belonged behind bars for the safety of all the women he came into contact with. I am so sorry, and I’m so upset. I wish I’d reported him sooner to the police.”
Masterson was convicted by a jury on two counts of rape in May, though the jury could not come to a consensus about whether he raped a third victim, allegedly a longtime girlfriend. He has been in custody since May.
During the sentencing on Thursday, Judge Olmedo said, “Mr. Masterson, I know that you’re sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you. But Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s voice, and choice. One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions, and their consequences.”
Masterson’s sentence is the maximum allowed by law, and he will be eligible for parole after serving 25 1/2 years. Judge Olmedo handed down his sentence after rejecting a motion from his defense team for a new trial. Masterson’s lawyers were also unsuccessful in their attempts to have Masterson’s two sentences—15 years each—run concurrently. The prosecution asked for the full 30 years to life.
For Masterson’s victims, this sentencing has been a long time coming. An initial jury failed to reach verdicts on all three counts of rape in December, resulting in a mistrial. The prosecution retried Masterson on all three counts earlier this year. During the trial, the prosecution argued that Masterson used his status as a prominent member of the Church of Scientology to avoid consequences for his attacks over the last 20 years.
All three women were also members at the time and said they were hesitant to go to the police because their reports to Scientology officials resulted in them being told they had not been raped and then being put through “ethics programs.”
“They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against,” said Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller in his closing argument at Masterson’s trial in May. “Scientology told them there’s no justice for them.”
In a statement to the Associated Press following the verdict, the church said the “testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs” were “uniformly false.” It also claimed there is “no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone—Scientologists or not—to law enforcement.”
(featured image: Lucy Nicholson – Pool/Getty Images)
Published: Sep 7, 2023 04:50 pm