In September 2023, 47-year-old Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in jail for raping two women. According to the victims, Masterson assaulted them at his Hollywood Hills home. As they recounted their troubled memories from the past, Masterson had no ounce of remorse for his crimes. Here’s a complete breakdown of Danny Masterson evidence and trial.
Back in March 2017, four women came forward with their claims about ‘That 70s Show’ star sexually assaulting them in the early 2000s. The fifth woman, Bobette Riales, Danny’s ex-partner, reported in December 2017 that Masterson repeatedly raped her when they were together.
I stayed quiet long enough. Danny Masterson repeatedly raped me. All I seek is justice and to prevent this from ever happening to anyone else as it has for some time. My truth will be heard. I applaud her strength as well. @ChrissieBixler #metoo #sisters
— Bobette Riales (@BobetteRial) December 21, 2017
Three of these victims were members of Scientology, which is a church that Masterson has been a part of since he was a child. The other two victims were Danny’s ex-partners. They were Chrissie Carnell Bixler and Bobette Riales.
However, since the beginning, when these claims started surfacing, he has outright rejected them. But finally, he was found guilty of being a rapist.
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Danny Masterson Evidence: The Start of the Initial Case Against Danny Masterson
The actor was first accused of sexual misconduct on March 3, 2017. These assault accusations gave rise to the official LAPD investigation.
Journalist Tony Ortega influenced these claims in his blog about Scientology, The Underground Bunker. As per Ortega, the three victims were unable to fully voice their claims because of pressure from the Church of Scientology. They were being forced not to contact the concerned authorities. However, the church clarified that they never indulged in these acts.
Masterson is a member of the Church of Scientology. Shockingly, this organization is notorious for covering up allegations of misconduct filed against those associated with it.
One woman accused Masterson of having sex with her while she was sleeping. Her police report detailed that the actor indulged in the act ‘with or without’ her consent. The second alleged victim claimed that Masterson sexually assaulted her while she was passed out.
On November 2, 2017, Danny Masterson’s fourth Victim Came Forward
The Huffington Post’s Yashar Ali reported about the fourth woman whom Masterson raped in the early 2000s. Despite having an overwhelming amount of evidence, the case was still put on hold.
The LAPD had already started their investigation of the accusers in 2016; the case was later referred to the district attorney in April 2017. But the reason for stalling the case was not revealed.
Fifteen days later, on November 17, 2017, Chrissie Carnell Bixler presented more evidence against the actor. She told The Daily Beast that she could no longer continue being silent about what happened to her.
During this time, Masterson still had active deals with Netflix regarding The Ranch, which he was co-starring and co-producing with Ashton Kutcher. Bixler publicly called out the streaming service for not de-platforming him despite the evidence.
In December 2017, one of the accusers revealed that the higher-ups at the company were still in denial about the allegations. The streaming service later cleared its name by reporting that these careless comments were made by Andy Yeatman, who was not aware of the woman’s identity while he was talking to her. Yeatman was later fired for making insensitive comments.
Netflix Fired Danny Masterson
On December 5, Netflix fired Danny Masterson from The Ranch amid the sexual assault allegations. Due to the rise in allegations against Danny, Netflix was pressured into taking this decision. Consequently, they issued a statement explaining that Masterson was written off the show. The actor did not take this news lightly. He expressed discomfort with Netflix’s decision based on ‘outrageous allegations.’
Chrissie Carnell Bixler also came forward with her claims of Danny Masterson raping her. Bixler prasies Riales for her courage in accusing the actor of his crimes in her statement. Bixler also supported Riales.
In January 2018, United Talent Agency, representing Masterson, stated their relationship with the star. The company that worked with Danny for 20 years confirmed that they were no longer associated with him.
In August 2019, Four of Danny Masterson’s Accusers Sued Him and the Church of Scientology
The victims filed a lawsuit, explaining that they were stalked and intimidated after publicly accusing Danny.
The women’s privacy was invaded, and their families were also harassed. These were attempts to somehow stop the accusers from going forward with their claims. The actions caused more emotional distress to the victims, who demanded ‘unspecified compensation’ along with a ‘trial by jury.’
On June 17, 2020, Masterson Was Charged with the Rape of three Women
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office’s verdict confirmed that the actor was guilty of three rapes by fear or force. A 23-year-old woman was assaulted in 2001, a 28-year-old victim in April 2003, and a 23-year-old woman between October and December 2003. All three of these women were at Masterson’s home when they were raped.
Following this verdict, Masterson was arrested. However, he was released a few hours after his arrest because of the bond. But he was asked to be arraigned on September 18.
In October, the Los Angeles judge announced that the Danny Masterson rape case would go forward. He rejected the defense’s arguments to not continue with the case, as the alleged crimes all happened outside of the statute of limitations. He also rejected the request to keep the media out of the courtroom.
The actor’s attorney, Mesereau, requested that the actor’s arraignment be pushed back to 2021. He backed up his demand because the case had now become politically motivated. In January 2021, Masterson pleaded not guilty to the alleged charges.
In 2021, Masterson’s Victims Described the Crimes in Detail
This concerned woman explained in an emotional testimony that Masterson had drugged her and repeatedly taken advantage of her. She woke up to find the actor raping her.
In 2003, the victim went to Masterson’s house to pick up her keys. But she was lured into being drugged. As her vision became blurry, the actor pushed her into a jacuzzi. Even though her memory doesn’t have the proper account of the horrible event, she can still recall from flashbacks how Masterson forced himself upon her.
Later, the second victim came forward with her story. She claimed that Danny raped her while they were still in a relationship. She kept insisting on not having to indulge in any sexual activity, but the actor forced her into doing it. To defend herself, the victim tried pulling on his hair, as that was the only way to get him off her. But this resulted in Masterson hitting her.
The third accuser also came clean about her story. The actor demanded that she come over to his home and forced her to take her clothes off. As she didn’t want things to escalate, the victim did as she was told.
However, she still insisted on not going forward with the act. She listened to Masterson because of his position in the Church of Scientology.
After these testimonies, the judge concluded that Masterson was being held on trial for the charges.
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The Official Jury Selection Began in Danny Masterson’s Case
As the trial began, to protect the victims’ identities, the three victims were referred to as J.B., N.T., and C.B. Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller’s two-hour and 15-minute speech detailed the accounts narrated by the three accusers.
Responding to this, Masterson’s lawyer, Philip Cohen, argued that the women lacked photographic evidence. He went as far as claiming that the women had all of this pre-planned before talking to the LAPD.
One by one, Mueller described every incident involving the three victims. It started with J.B., who reported two instances with Masterson. Even though no charges were filed for the first incident, the attorney confirmed that the actor raped her several months later.
Next, he talked about C.B., who was in a relationship with Masterson for six years and claimed that the actor repeatedly raped her during this duration.
Mueller talked about N.T.’s similar story of being drugged at Masterson’s home and being lured into the jacuzzi.
On May 31, 2023, Danny Masterson’s Case Took a Huge Turn
As per the Los Angeles Times, Masterson was found guilty of two counts of rape. And the third count of rape could not get a definite result because of the hung jury. Following this verdict, the atmosphere at the court was quite uneasy. However, the judge requested that everyone maintain their composure. Masterson was immediately handcuffed and sent to jail.
On September 7, 2023, Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in jail for his crimes. Following this decision, the victims talked about their horrible journeys and past experiences that they had to endure because of the actor’s actions.
That was everything you needed to know about Danny Masterson’s evidence and trial. If a new update about the case surfaces, we’ll update this site immediately.
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