Danny Masterson convicted on 2 counts of rape in retrial

Actor Danny Masterson was convicted Wednesday on two counts of rape.

The “That ‘70s Show” star, 47, had been accused of raping three women between 2001 and 2003. The jury could not reach a verdict in the case of the third woman, voting in 8-4 in favor of conviction.

It was the second time Masterson faced trial on the rape charges. A previous trial ended in a hung jury in December 2022. At the second trial, the jury deliberated for seven days before reaching a verdict.

Masterson faces up to 30 years in prison. His wife, model and actress Bijou Phillips, broke down in tears Wednesday as Masterson was led away in handcuffs.

Los Angeles police began investigating Masterson in 2017 after three women said he raped them over a decade earlier. All three women were members of the Church of Scientology at the time but have since left the group. Masterson remains a member.

One victim said Masterson spiked her drink, smothered her and then held her at gunpoint while he raped her. A second woman said Masterson admitted to having sex with her while she was unconscious. And a third woman said Masterson spiked her drink before assaulting her.

The women said they reported the actor to Scientology leaders, but the church suppressed their stories to protect Masterson.

“They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against,” prosecutor Reinhold Mueller told jurors in his closing argument. “Scientology told them there’s no justice for them. You have the opportunity to show them there is justice.”

Masterson’s attorneys argued that the women’s stories changed throughout the years and were coordinated at the end to conspire against Masterson.

“If you decide that a witness deliberately lied about something in this case, you should consider not believing anything that witness says,” defense attorney Philip Cohen told jurors in his closing argument.

The second trial diverged from the first in a few crucial ways. The judge allowed prosecutors to specifically say that Masterson drugged the women, instead of only implying it as they did in the first trial.

Additionally, discussion of Scientology was expanded in the second trial, allowing a former member and current critic of the church to serve as an expert witness.

With News Wire Services