That '70s Show Star Danny Masterson Found Guilty On Two Counts In Sexual Assault Trial
Actor Danny Masterson, best known for his role as Steven Hyde on "That '70s Show" and Jameson "Rooster" Bennett on Netflix's "The Ranch," has been found guilty of two counts of forcible rape in a California trial, according to Variety. The jury, which contained seven women and five men, deadlocked on a third charge brought by Masterson's former girlfriend after seven days of deliberations. The vote was 8-4 leaning in favor of conviction on this final count.
Masterson now faces up to a total of 30 years to life in prison; 15 to life on each charge. A previous jury deadlocked on the same set of accusations in November 2022, resulting in a mistrial. In that set of legal proceedings, the majority vote had leaned toward acquitting Masterson on every charge in all three cases.
Judge Charlaine Olmedo called for Masterson to remain incarcerated during the penalty phase of proceedings, in spite of his lawyer's request he remain free. He was taken into custody and is currently in prison awaiting sentencing.
Masterson was charged with raping the three women from 2001 to 2003 at his home, and prosecutors claimed he used his position within the Church of Scientology to cover up his purported crimes. He was also accused of giving his alleged victims drugged beverages. "The defendant drugs his victims to gain control," Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson said during closing arguments in mid-May 2023. "He does this to take away his victims' ability to consent."
A civil case remains pending
All three women still have a civil case pending against both Danny Masterson and the Church of Scientology, whom they accuse of stalking and harassing them in the lead-up to the trial. One of the plaintiffs reported Masterson to the police in 2004 but prosecutors decided not to follow through with charges. The three women subsequently learned about one another and approached authorities together in 2016. During the trial, they used the pseudonyms Jen B., N. Trout, and Christina B. Masterson was charged under California's new statute of limitations increasing the "one strike" rule for sex crimes in 2020.
Philip Cohen, Masterson's defense attorney, continues to maintain the actor's innocence, pointing to the prosecution's focus on Scientology's effect on the case, insinuating that it lacked factual merit, and stating that the women changed details of their stories so that they would match after colluding. Masterson has repeatedly stated that the sex acts he participated in with all three women were consensual.
The trial will reconvene on August 4 for sentencing.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).