Danny Masterson Rape Retrial Now With Jury; ‘That 70s Show’ Actor Faces Decades In Prison If Found Guilty Of Trio Of Sexual Assault Charges
17.05.2023 - 18:19
/ deadline.com
The jury in Danny Masterson’s rape retrial has begun deliberations.
The panel went behind closed doors this morning not long after the conclusion of the prosecution’s final rebuttal and a last unsuccessful move by the defense to have a mistrial declared.
Following closing arguments on May 16 by deputy D.A. Ariel Anson and then closing arguments by defense attorney Phillip Cohen, deputy D.A. Reinhold Mueller was the last person to address the jury in the downtown LA courtroom, before Judge Charlaine Olmedo sent the panel to come up with a verdict.
Facing over 40 years behind bars if found guilty on a trio of rape charges, Masterson’s first trial started on October 18, 2023 and ended in a mistrial being declared on November 30 after the jury remained deadlocked.
Despite attempts by the defense to get the case dismissed, the retrial of the That 70s Show actor began on April 24 with O.J. Simpson criminal trial alum Shawn Holley joining the defense. Under the shadow of an apparent leak of discovery material to a Scientology lawyer, the fast-paced retrial rested on May 12 with the defense calling no witness.
Though the defense has tried over and over to erase as much referene to Scientology as possible in the criminal case – the David Miscavige-led church is not a defendant- the church, its policies and its role in preventing the three Jane Does from initially going to law enforcement has been a high-profile presence in both trials.
Arrested in 2020 over the alleged assaults that occurred between 2001 and 2003 in his Hollywood Hills house, Masterson has been out on bail of $3 million ever since. The actor, who quickly was fired from the Netflix comedy The Ranch at the end of 2017 as assault claims became known, and has been