![]() ![]() Masterson's lawyer, Philip Cohen, objected Wednesday to the prosecution's frequent referrals to his client drugging his alleged victims before raping them and called for a mistrial, saying, 'drugging does not constitute forcible rape.'Īctress Leah Remini is pictured in court during Danny Masterson's rape trial, on April 24īut Judge Olmedo denied his mistrial motion, telling him that when considering drugging and use of force in a rape case, 'one does not necessarily preclude the other.'Ĭohen, pointed out that there are no toxicology reports to back up the 20-year-old drugging allegations against his client – who has always maintained that the sex with the three Jane Does was 'consensual.'Īnother difference between the two trials was the addition in the second of testimony from another 'victim' – a woman who claimed Masterson raped her in Toronto in 2000, though he was never charged with the alleged assault. It's time to hold Mr Masterson accountable for what he's done.' 'It's beyond reasonable doubt that this man drugged these women and raped them. Her prosecuting partner, Mueller, added – as he pointed at Masterson – 'After they were drugged, they were raped by this man over here. When he drugs them, he is completely able to control them. 'The defendant drugged his victims to be in control. In the second trial, prosecutors put much more emphasis than they did in the first on their claims that Masterson drugged his alleged victims by spiking drinks he gave them before raping them.Ĭalling Masterson a 'predator', Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson said in her closing argument: 'It all starts with a drink. They said that church officials warned them not to use the word rape that turning in a fellow Scientologist to law enforcement was considered a 'high crime' and if they disobeyed that doctrine, they could be declared a 'suppressive person' – cast out by the church and left alone, cut off from family and friends. In their civil case they claim that they've been harassed and intimidated since reporting him to police.Ī status hearing on that case is scheduled for June 28. His accusers, who is identifying only as Jane Does 1 through 3 – are all former Scientologists. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and he was looking at a sentence of 45 years to life in prison if he had been convicted on all three. Masterson – who played smart-mouthed Steven Hyde on That '70s Show – was accused of raping the three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 20. The verdicts handed down by the jury in this case were undoubtedly a difficult one to reach and we thank the jurors for their service.' 'While we are disappointed that the jury did not convict on all counts, we respect their decision. Their courage and strength have been an inspiration to us all. 'We want to express our gratitude to the three women who came forward and bravely shared their experiences. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement after the verdict: 'In April 2003, Masterson raped a 28-year-old woman and sometime between October and December of that year he sexually assaulted a 23-year-old woman who he had invited to his Hollywood Hills home. ![]() The female jury foreperson answered 'No,' adding that the panel voted five times without being able to come up with a unanimous decision. On the charge of raping Jane Doe 3 – which jurors remained hung on – the judge asked 'if there is any reasonable possibility of arriving at a verdict.' Reinhold Mueller, the deputy district attorney, told the court that he agreed with Judge Olmedo's decision to revoke Masterson's bail, echoing her comment and saying: 'These were serious and violent offenses.' Masterson's attorney, Philip Cohen, argued that his client should be allowed to remain on bail, wearing an electronic monitor and being kept on 24-hour house arrest.īut Judge Olmedo rejected his plea saying Masterson's offenses were 'serious and violent felonies' and called him a 'potential flight risk.' Bijou was wearing a dark blue dress with white polka dots as she arrived to court with her husband ![]() A judge ordered he be taken into custody and scheduled a hearing for August 4. ![]()
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