Danny Masterson’s trial support letters from Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis revealed
Victims condemn Church of Scientology and ‘coward’ former sitcom star as judge dismantles defence case
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Danny Masterson received letters of support from Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher ahead of his sentencing, it has been revealed.
Masterson, 47, was given a sentence of 30 years to life in a Los Angeles court on Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago.
It has since emerged that his That 70’s Show co-stars Kunis and Kutcher were among 50 people who wrote letters of support before the sentencing.
In their letters, published by Los Angeles-based court reporter Meghann Cuniff, the couple vouched for Masterson’s “exceptional character” and pleaded for Judge Charlaine Olmedo’s leniency.
A jury found Masterson guilty of two counts in May after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Masterson’s Hollywood Hills home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom.
The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend.
Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology — where all three women were also members at the time — to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.
Judge ‘verbally dismantled’ Masterson’s defence
Legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff reported from the court in Los Angeles that Judge Charlaine Olmedo “verbally dismantled” Masterson’s defence.
“Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and that’s why you are here,” Judge Olmedo told the actor
Per Cuniff:
Olmedo told Masterson she knows he’s wondering “how you can be convicted of each charge of sexual incident occurring 20 years ago” involving “a woman who you believe is disgruntled and has a vendetta against you.”
But, Olmedo said, “you were not convicted on the testimony of one person.”
“You were not convicted based on rumors, innuendo, gossip and speculation,” Olmedo said. “You were convicted based on evidence that 12 people in the community found to be credible. … You were convicted because each of the victims reported the rapes to someone shortly after the rapes occurred.”
Judge Olmedo also noted that Masterson had paid one of his victims nearly $1m to sign a non-disclosure agreement, describing it as “an awful lot to pay” for an incident he claimed never happened.
Who were Masterson’s accusers?
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they were victims of sexual abuse.
The first accuser
One of the women Masterson is convicted of raping was born into a Scientology family and was part of Masterson’s circle of friends. Nearly all of those closest to her were members, including the late Lisa Marie Presley, who also left the church long before her death in January.
The woman said that when she stopped by Masterson’s house to pick up a set of keys in 2003, he gave her a drink that left her sick and badly disoriented, and raped her in his bedroom upstairs. She first filed a police report, which did not lead to an arrest, in 2004. She returned to authorities in 2016.
Jurors found her account credible and convicted Masterson based on her allegations.
The second accuser
A model and actor who was Masterson’s girlfriend from 1996 to 2002 took the stand to open the trial. She previously testified that Masterson grew increasingly physically and sexually abusive in their years together. She said that it eventually led to him raping her twice late in 2001, though he is only charged with one instance, a morning when she woke to find Masterson raping her. She would go to the police 15 years later.
Jurors could not agree on a verdict on her allegations, deadlocking 8-4 in favour of conviction.
The third accuser
The third woman at the centre of the trial had only recently met Masterson through mutual friends in the church, which she had joined as a teenager. She testified that in 2003 that Masterson invited her to his house, where they were alone. She said she was clear that she wanted no sex, but he convinced her to get into his jacuzzi and then took her to his bed, where he raped her. She went to the police in 2017.
Jurors convicted Masterson based on her testimony.
How did Masterson’s lawyer challenge allegations?
Masterson’s attorney challenged his former longterm girlfriend during her testimony at the trial as to why new details had emerged in her account of when she claimed the actor raped her in 2001.
Read more...
Danny Masterson lawyer challenges new details in rape story
An attorney for Danny Masterson challenged his former girlfriend on why her trial testimony alleging the actor raped her in 2001 included new details that were missing from the accounts she first gave authorities
Have Masterson’s former co-stars spoken about the case?
Actor Ashton Kutcher, who starred alongside Masterston on That 70s Show and The Ranch, commented on the case back in January.
Ashton Kutcher hopes Danny Masterson will be ‘found innocent’ in rape retrial
Masterson will be retried in March after his original case ended in mistrial
Who is Masterson’s wife Bijou Phillips?
Reports indicate Masterson’s wife, Bijou Phillips, was visibly upset in court when her husband of 12 years was convicted on 31 May following seven days of jury deliberation and a mistrial in 2022. The 43-year-old model clung to Masterson’s side for the duration of his trial, showing no signs she plans to leave or divorce him as of now.
Her husband’s trial joins a long list of scandals Bijou has encountered throughout her life. For those who aren’t familiar, here’s a little background on the sitcom star’s wife.
Danny Masterson’s wife breaks down at rape sentencing: Who is Bijou Phillips?
Bijou, daughter of The Mamas & The Papas lead musician John Phillips, and his third wife Geneviève Waïte, met Masterson in 2004 and tied the knot with ‘That 70s Show’ lead in 2011
Judge blasts Danny Masterson as actor is sentenced to 30 years in prison for rapes
“I know that you’re sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you. But Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s voice, and choice. One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions, and their consequences.”
Read more:
Disgraced ‘That ‘70s Show’ star , who is 47 and has a nine-year-old daughter, will not be able to apply for parole until he is 77 years old
Masterson unmoved by sentencing victim statements
Actor Danny Masterson remained unmoved as his two rape victims gave powerful impact statements to a judge before the That ‘70s Show star was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the attacks.
“When you raped me, you stole from me,” said one woman who Masterson, 47, was convicted of raping in 2003. “That’s what rape is, a theft of the spirit.”
“You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent,” she added. “The world is better off with you in prison.”
The other victim told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo that the actor “has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused.”
Graeme Massie reports from Los Angeles.
Danny Masterson unmoved by powerful victim statements at sentencing
Actor jailed for 30 years by Los Angeles judge for the rape of two women at his home in 2003
Did Scientology play a role in the aftermath of rapes?
Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology — where all three women were also members at the time — to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.
The women blamed the church for their hesitancy in going to the police about Masterson. They testified that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they were not raped, were put through ethics programs themselves, and were warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing.
“They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against,” Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told jurors at the trial. “Scientology told them there’s no justice for them.”
The church said in a statement after the verdict that the “testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs” during the trial were “uniformly false.”
“The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone — Scientologists or not — to law enforcement,” the statement said.
Full story: ‘That ’70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes
That ’70s Show star Danny Masterson has been sentenced to life in prison for the rapes of two women two decades ago.
He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years.
The sentence was handed down on Thursday (7 September) by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F Olmedo, after she had rejected a defence motion for a new trial.
Inga Parkel reports for The Independent.
Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes
Sitcom actor was found guilty for the rapes of two women two decades ago
Did Conan know?
A resurfaced chat show clip of Danny Masterson takes on a chilling new light in the wake of his sentencing of 30 years to life in prison for multiple rapes.
The video is taken from 2004 when the 47-year-old actor, who starred in That ’70s Show, appeared on the NBC series Late Night with Conan O’Brien . The rapes he has been convicted of happened one year earlier.
Jacob Stolworthy reports on how the chat show banter took on a new resonance.
Old Danny Masterson chat show clip takes on chilling new light after rape sentencing
’I’ve heard about you,’ Conan O’Brien tells now-convicted rapist after lewd comment