Danny Masterson Found Guilty of Two Counts of Rape, Faces Life in Prison
A Los Angeles jury found Danny Masterson guilty on two counts of rape on Wednesday, May 31, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The former That '70s Show star had initially been charged with three counts, but the jury was hung on the third count and were unable to come to a unanimous decision after days of deliberation.
When the guilty verdict was read, Masterson's wife, Bijou Phillips — who had been sitting in the courtroom at the time of the hearing — was said to have let out a heartbreaking cry before she dissolved into tears, according to the Los Angels Times.
According to ABC News, he faces anywhere from 30 years to life in prison.
It's been reported his sentencing will take place in early August.
The allegations against the disgraced actor came about after several women connected to the Church of Scientology — known as Chrissy B., Jen B. and N. Trout — all accused Masterson of sexually assaulting them at separate times over the past two decades.
All women involved claimed they were raped after the Men at Work actor served them drinks that allegedly made them feel strange and sick to their stomachs.
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Jen B. told the court she'd felt dizzy after sharing a drink Masterson, who she said brought her home and attacked her while threatening her with a gun.
N. Trout claimed to have felt similarly after partaking in a beverage provided by Masterson, who allegedly waited for her to become weak before raping her to the point that she vomited.
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Chrissy B. stated The Ranch star treated her violently throughout their relationship, alleging he once attempted to force himself on her while she was sleeping, striking her and pinning her down when she refused, before finally raping her as well. She also accused him of other forms of emotional, verbal and physical abuse, saying that he called her "white trash", "urinated" on her and often "spit" on her.
Throughout the trial, it was argued by Masterson's legal team that the incidents allegedly happened so long ago that there was no physical proof that any the women in question had actually been drugged.
The Church of Scientology has since released a statement regarding Masterson's conviction.
The church also condemned the claims made by Masterson's victims that they were "harassed" by Scientology members after bringing their allegations to court.
"The prosecution’s introduction of religion into this trial was an unprecedented violation of the First Amendment and affects the due process rights of every American," a spokesperson for the church wrote. "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 District Attorney unconscionably centered his prosecution on the defendant’s religion and fabrications about the Church to introduce prejudice and inflame bigotry," the statement continued. "The DA elicited testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs and practices which were uniformly FALSE. The Court’s statement of Church doctrine was her own invention, DEAD WRONG, and blatantly unconstitutional."
"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. There is not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers," the Church of Scientology concluded. "Every single instance of supposed harassment by the Church is FALSE, and has been debunked."
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