That ‘70s Show star Danny Masterson has been found guilty of raping two women
Danny Masterson has been found guilty of two counts of rape.
The star from That '70s Show, who played Steven Hyde, was accused of raping three women at his Hollywood Hills home in the early 2000s.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Los Angeles Times says he met the women through the Church of Scientology.
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Prosecutor Ariel Anson said Masterson abused his position in the church to prey on the women.
“Like all predators, the defendant carefully sought out his prey,” Anson argued.
“The church taught his victims that rape isn’t rape, that you cause this and above all you aren’t allowed to go to law enforcement.
"What better hunting ground? In Scientology, the defendant is a celebrity and he’s untouchable.”
The women have since left the church and claimed they were dissuaded from going to the police with their accusations.
The jury was hung on a third count of rape after deliberating for a little more than a week.
They declared they were deadlocked on the final charge and weren't able to reach an unanimous decision.
Masterson's wife, Bijou Phillips, reportedly 'let out a pained cry' as the guilty verdict was read out.
There was also an 'audible gasp' from his family at the same time.
Variety reports the now disgraced actor is looking at a potential maximum sentence of 30 years to life in prison.
This is the second time he's gone on trial for the accusations after the first one ended in a mistrial.
A jury consisting of six women and six men informed Judge Charlaine Olmedo back in November that they were ‘hopelessly deadlocked’ after deliberating a verdict just before Thanksgiving.
Judge Olmedo read aloud a note from the jurors which said: “We are not even close to coming to a unanimous decision on any of the three counts and are convinced this will not change.”
At the time, Jane Doe 2, Jane Doe 3 and Jane Doe 3’s husband issued a joint statement after the mistrial declaration that said: “We would first like to thank the jury for its public service.
"We are obviously disappointed that, at least for the time being, Daniel Masterson has evaded criminal accountability for his deplorable acts.
Variety says prosecutors changed their tactics in the second trial and claimed Masterson drugged the women.
“They were all drugged. The defendant drugs his victims to be in control. He does this to take away these victims’ ability to consent," Anson said.
"This is not about consent. This is not about the defendant misunderstanding these victim’s signals. When he drugs them, he’s able to completely physically control them.
"You don’t want to have sex? You don’t have a choice… The defendant makes that choice for these victims and he does it over and over and over again.”
However, Masterson's lawyer Philip Cohen said there was no evidence to support that theory.
Topics: Celebrity
Stewart Perrie