31 May 2023 , 21:23
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Danny Masterson has been found guilty of two counts of rape and acquitted of a third count of rape by a Los Angeles court.
The That '70s Show actor was convicted in Downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday after he faced a second trial over the charges that he sexually assaulted several women he met through the Church of Scientology in the early 2000s.
The third count saw the jurors - seven women and five men - hung after they had deliberated for just over a week.
Jurors had hung in a trial last year over the same counts.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Masterson's wife, Bijou Phillips, let out a cry after the verdict was read and then began to sob. Other family members and friends are said to have sat stone-faced.
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Masterson was led from the courtroom in handcuffs
During the case, Masterson, 47, was told he could face up to 45 years in prison. It is not yet known how long he will have to serve.
Danny Masterson has been found guilty of two of the three counts he faced (Getty Images)Prosecutors, retrying the actor following a deadlocked jury led to a mistrial in December, said Masterson had forcibly raped three women in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003.
They told jurors he drugged the women's drinks so he could rape them.
During the retrial, Masterson did not testify, and his lawyers called no witnesses.
The defence argued that all acts were consensual, and tried to discredit the women's stories by highlighting changes and inconsistencies over time, which they implied showed signs of coordination between them.
Defence attorney Philip Cohen told jurors in the case: "If you decide that a witness deliberately lied about something in this case, you should consider not believing anything that witness says."
The incidents are said to have happened between 2001 and 2003 (Getty Images North America)The issue of drugging played a major role in the retrial. At the first, Olmedo only allowed prosecutors and accusers to describe their disorientation, and to imply that they were drugged.
The second time, they were allowed to argue it directly, and the prosecution attempted to make it a major factor, to no avail.
"The defendant drugs his victims to gain control," Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson said in her closing argument, according to Associated Press.
"He does this to take away his victims' ability to consent."
Masterson was not charged with any counts of drugging, and there is no toxicology evidence to back up the assertion. His attorney asked for a mistrial over the issue's inclusion but this motion was denied. However, it's thought the issue is likely to be a major factor in any potential appeal.
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