That ‘70s Show star Danny Masterson is found guilty of two counts of rape on the retrial after the first trial in November ended in a mistrial and a hung jury.
Masterson was convicted on Wednesday, May 31, for forcibly raping three women between 2001 and 2003, including long-time partner, actress Chrissie Bixler, whom he dated for six years.
According to the victims, Masterson drugged their drinks so he could rape them in his Hollywood Hills home – where he pleaded not guilty.
Masterson’s lawyers asserted that the acts were consensual, undermining the stories of the victims, and claiming that there is an indicated collaboration between them.
The victims also mentioned the involvement of the Church of Scientology, which they are part of at the time including Masterson, saying Masterson used his prominence in the group to avoid consequences and stop them from testifying.
According to a report, when the victims reported Masterson to the church officials, they were informed that they had not been sexually assaulted, been made to go through ethics programs, and warned against reporting a member of such high standing to the police.
The Church of Scientology released a statement regarding the matter, saying, “The Church was not a party to this case and religion did not belong in this proceeding as Supreme Court precedent has maintained for centuries.”
The statement continued, “The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone – Scientologists or not – to law enforcement.”
“Quite the opposite, Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land. All allegations to the contrary are totally FALSE,” it added.
The jury reached the verdict after deliberating for over two weeks, favoring the conviction of Masterson for two counts of rape as they could not reach a verdict on Bixler’s case.
The 47-year-old actor is scheduled to be sentenced on August 4 and will face up to 30 years in prison.
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