It was announced on Thursday that That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. He was convicted of having raped two women over twenty years ago at his Hollywood Hills home. The trial included three women who claimed they were raped by Masterson, though he was not acquitted for the third count.
As shared via NBC, Masterson is said to have “showed no visible emotion after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo threw the book at him.” Olmedo stated the following to Masterson before dispatching him to prison:
“Mr. Masterson, 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,” Olmedo began. “But Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here.”
It’s been further revealed that Masterson’s wife, Bijou Phillips, was present at the time of his sentence. Her reaction was described as follows, noting that she “quickly donned a pair of sunglasses after Olmedo announced the sentence. She left the courtroom without a word.”
Masterson repeatedly denied sexually assaulting the women through his lawyers, as he was absent during his trials, and continued not to make a statement at his sentencing. He’s said to have “sat silently as the two women he was convicted of raping, as well as a former girlfriend whose rape accusation the jury deadlocked over in May, took turns urging the judge to hit him with a harsh punishment.”
The three women shared the following statements:
“When you raped me, you stole from me,” Jane Doe #2 told the court. “That’s what rape is, a theft of the spirit.”
“You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent,” she said. “The world is better off with you in prison.”
Jane Doe #1 added that Masterson “has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused.”
“I knew he belonged behind bars for the safety of all the women he came into contact with,” she said. “I am so sorry, and I’m so upset. I wish I’d reported him sooner to the police.”
Jane Doe #3 stated that Masterson’s actions have caused her to view her “body as a crime scene my entire life.”
One of Masterson’s lawyers, Shawn Holley, claims the legal battle is far from over:
“And though we have great respect for the jury in this case and for our system of justice overall, sometimes they get it wrong,” Holley said. “And that’s what happened here.”
“Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he has been convicted and we and the appellate lawyers — the best and the brightest in the country — are confident that these convictions will be overturned.”
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any potential updates on the Danny Masterson case as we may have them.
Danny Masterson Sentenced To 30 Years To Life In Prison
Source: Breaking Update News
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