bijou phillips and danny masterson 2017 rape

#Bijou phillips and danny masterson 2017 rape trial#

At the first, Olmedo only allowed prosecutors and accusers to describe their disorientation, and to imply that they were drugged. The issue of drugging also played a major role in the retrial. The third, Masterson's then-girlfriend of five years, said she awoke to find him raping her, and had to pull his hair to stop him. Two women, who knew Masterson from social circles in the church, said he gave them drinks and that they then became woozy or passed out before he violently raped them in 2003. Testimony in this case was graphic and emotional. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they've been sexually abused. The church vehemently denied having any policy that forbids members from going to secular authorities. You have the opportunity to show them there is justice.' 'Scientology told them there's no justice for them. 'They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against,' Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told jurors in his closing argument.

The women testified that when they reported Masterson to church 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. The judge kept limits on how much prosecutors could talk about the church, and primarily allowed it to explain why the women took so long to go to authorities. Ron Hubbard, the Church of Scientology has many members who work in Hollywood.

#Bijou phillips and danny masterson 2017 rape trial#

Tensions ran high in the courtroom between current and former Scientologists, and even leaked into testimony, with the accusers saying on the stand that they felt intimidated by some members in the room.Īctor Leah Remini, a former member who has become the church's highest-profile critic, sat in on the trial at times, putting her arm around one of the accusers to comfort her during closing arguments.įounded in 1953 by L. Olmedo allowed expert testimony on church policy from a former official in Scientology leadership who has become a prominent opponent. The Church of Scientology played a significant role in the first trial but arguably an even larger one in the second. The Church of Scientology played a role in the trial 'If you decide that a witness deliberately lied about something in this case,' defense attorney Philip Cohen told jurors, going through their instructions in his closing argument, 'You should consider not believing anything that witness says.' The defense argued that the acts were consensual, and attempted to discredit the women's stories by highlighting changes and inconsistencies over time, which they said showed signs of coordination between them. Masterson did not testify, and his lawyers called no witnesses. They said he used his prominence in the church - where all three women were also members at the time - to avoid consequences for decades. They told jurors he drugged the women's drinks so he could rape them. Prosecutors, retrying Masterson after a deadlocked jury led to a mistrial in December, said he forcibly raped three women, including a longtime girlfriend, in his Hollywood Hills home between 20.

'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,' one of the women, whom Masterson was convicted of raping at his home in 2003, said in a statement. Other family and friends sat stone-faced. His wife, actor and model Bijou Phillips, wept as he was led away. The 47-year-old actor faces up to 30 years in prison. Masterson was led from the courtroom in handcuffs. They had voted 8-4 in favor of conviction.

They could not reach a verdict on the third count, that alleged Masterson raped a longtime girlfriend. The jury of seven women and five men reached the verdict after deliberating for seven days spread over two weeks. LOS ANGELES - A jury found 'That '70s Show' star Danny Masterson guilty of two out of three counts of rape Wednesday in a Los Angeles retrial in which the Church of Scientology played a central role.