After being found guilty on two counts of rape, Danny Masterson was ultimately given a 30 year prison term. The “That ’70s Show” actor received a 30-year term on Thursday from a Los Angeles court.
The punishment isn’t particularly shocking considering that he was facing 30 years to life in prison after being found guilty on two of his three offenses.
In May, the jury deadlocked on the third count, but he was found guilty on the first two. The three women said the events occurred between 2001 and 2003, while he was working on his comedy series, and he was initially charged in 2020.
Recall that Masterson had a trial in October of last year, but it resulted in a mistrial a month later because the jury was deadlocked. Despite the actor’s team’s efforts to get it dismissed, he was ultimately retried and found guilty.
After Masterson’s mistrial, his attorney Philip Cohen said that the case was “about nothing other than the credibility of the three accusers and that credibility could only be determined by comparing, contrasting and focusing on the ever-evolving statements given by the women.”
‘That ’70s Show’ Star Danny Masterson Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison On 2 Rape Charges
In an effort to undermine the women’s accounts, Masterson’s legal team said that the actions were consensual and cited shifts and discrepancies over time that they claimed indicated collaboration between the parties.
Masterson was detained in June 2020 but had been out on bail after posting a $3.3 million bond. He maintained his innocence and entered a not guilty plea to the accusations.
When Masterson was found guilty, we discovered he wasn’t placed in the general population of the L.A. County Men’s Central Jail, where he had been waiting for his sentence, but rather in “administrative segregation,” where famous prisoners like O.J. Simpson and Suge Knight had previously resided.
What do you think? Are you surprised by the sentencing and should there have been an even longer sentence? Let us know in the comments below.
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