In the first trial surrounding charges of rape against former That ’70s Show star Danny Masterson, which took place last fall, a mistrial was declared. In a just-concluded second trial, Masterson was found guilty of charges stemming from incidents involving on two women. The jury was split on charges related to a third woman, with eight jurors finding Masterson guilty and four voting not guilty after five rounds of deliberations.
Masterson could face 30 years to life in prison as a result of the two convictions for forcible rape; 15 years for each guilty verdict. The next hearing in the case will occur on August 4.
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Masterson was first arrested and charged with rape in the summer of 2020. The allegations against him first surfaced in the midst of the #MeToo movement in 2017, when multiple women came forward with allegations that the longtime TV star, who played Hyde on all eight seasons of That ’70s Show, had drugged and raped them.
According to Deadline, at this second trial, the district attorney “put explicit emphasis on the long time Scientologist allegedly spiking the drinks of his victims, all Scientologist themselves at the time.”
At the time the allegations first emerged, Masterson was starring on the Netflix comedy The Ranch; he was eventually fired from the series during production of its third season. After his firing, Masterson released a public statement denying the “outrageous” claims, and insisting that police had investigated the claims previously.
The Ranch ended its run in 2020, but Netflix’s That ’70s Show revival, That ’90s Show, has already been renewed for two additional seasons by Netflix following its successful premiere in early 2023. Masterson is one of the few stars of the original show who has not appeared on the new series.
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