Danny Masterson, ‘That ’70s Show’ actor, found guilty of rape
CNN
By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN
(CNN) — A Los Angeles jury has found actor Danny Masterson guilty on two of the three counts of rape in a retrial on Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney.
There was a hung jury on the third count, the District Attorney said.
“We want to express our gratitude to the three women who came forward and bravely shared their experiences. Their courage and strength have been an inspiration to us all,” District Attorney Gascón said. “While we are disappointed that the jury did not convict on all counts, we respect their decision.”
The “That ’70s Show” star, 47, had pleaded not guilty to raping three women at his home in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003.
He is facing a possible sentence of up to 30 years to life in state prison.
Masterson was taken into custody on Wednesday following the verdict.
The trial started on April 24 and the case went to the jury on May 17. Masterson was represented by defense lawyers Shawn Holley and Philip Cohen. Deputy D.A. Ariel Anson and Deputy D.A. Reinhold Mueller prosecuted the case.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Masterson for comment.
“I am experiencing a complex array of emotions – relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness – knowing that my abuser, Danny Masterson, will face accountability for his criminal behavior,” Jane Doe 2 said to CNN in a statement through their representative.
This is the second trial in the case against Masterson. His first trial, which started in October 2022, was declared a mistrial in November after jurors remained deadlocked, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said at the time.
Masterson is best known for his role as Steven Hyde on “That ’70s Show,” which aired for eight seasons on Fox from 1998 to 2006, and costarred Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, Topher Grace and Wilmer Valderrama.
Kutcher and Masterson also starred in Netflix’s “The Ranch” beginning in 2016, but Netflix and the producers wrote Masterson off the show amid the rape allegations. At the time, Masterson said he was “obviously very disappointed” by the decision, in a statement to CNN.
News of the allegations date back to March 2017 when journalist and former Village Voice editor Tony Ortega wrote on his site, “The Underground Bunker,” that Masterson was being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.
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CNN’s Taylor Romine and Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report
