Actor Danny Masterson has been found guilty of raping two women between 2001 and 2003 in a retrial.
WARNING: This story contains graphic content that some readers may find disturbing.
The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for more than a week before reaching a verdict on two of three charges. Jurors were given the case last week, after prosecutors finally finished their rebuttal following all-day closing arguments.
Jury unable to reach verdict in 2022 In 2022, a jury was unable to reach a verdict in the case against the actor involving rape allegations by three women, and Los Angeles Judge Charlaine Olmedo declared a mistrial. This week, prosecutors said in their closing argument on Tuesday that Masterson had drugged the women in order to assault them, then relied on his status as a prominent member in the Church of Scientology to avoid consequences for decades.
"You don't want to have sex? You don't have a choice," Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson told the jury.
"The defendant makes that choice for these victims. And he does it, over and over and over again."
After the closing arguments, Masterson's attorney, Philip Cohen, made a motion for a mistrial, one of several that he made during the three-week trial, because of the prosecution's mention of drugging, which was not part of the charges.
Judge Olmedo rejected the motion, and said the prosecution was acting within the bounds of her pre-trial decision by allowing them to assert that the women were drugged.
In the 2022 trial, Masterson, 47, pleaded not guilty to raping three women at his home between 2001 and 2003.
During the defence's closing, Mr Cohen told jurors the women's accounts were so full of inconsistencies, there was more than enough reasonable doubt for jurors to acquit Masterson.
He emphasised the lack of any physical evidence of drugging, with the investigation that led to Masterson's arrest coming 15 years after the alleged rapes.
"Miss Anson presented a case as if she was arguing a drugging case," Mr Cohen said. "Maybe it's because there is no evidence of force or violence."
Scientology played an outsized role during the trial. Masterson is a member, and all three women are former members.
Prosecutors said the institution protected him, and helped convince the women that they were not raped, and could not go to authorities to report a fellow Scientologist in good standing. The church denied having any such policy.
Masterson played the roles of Steven Hyde in That '70s Show, Milo Foster in Men at Work and Jameson "Rooster" Bennett in The Ranch.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-01/danny-masterson-retrial/102361304
Now do Ashton Kutcher
Something about Kutcher has always creeped me out.
Go down this rabbit hole:
https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/yz0sn0/after_reviewing_all_the_evidence_i_think_its/
That was his introduction to the coercive side of the cabal when he resisted. Demi introduced him to the dark side, he rejected it but then they brutally killed his date and threatened to have him framed for the murder, or,... he could get inline and become a hugely successful actor and VC investor and never have to worry about anything again. ( at least until judgement day)
Or he just randomly stabbed a woman 27 times because she was not dressed and ready to go for the date he had planned.
Edit: Demi also introduced Willis to the dark side and he became a queer child lover.
Watch Moonrise kingdom and pay attention to the symbolism, children dressed like teddy bears for the hunt, etc. My weird shit-O-meter was spiking 10 and broke the glass if you pay attention, watch the extras and director's and child actor's interviews after watching the movie. If you cannot see what was going on during the making of that movie see an optometrist soon.
Maybe you were Creeped out by a 20 year old Ashton marrying Bruce Williis' ex-wife and she was like 15 years older than him.
I know it creeped me out. :)
Demi Moore was still hot back then so ... I can forgive
And then the fact that adult Ashton played the part of Kelso in That 70s Show who would regularly make out with Mila Kunis who was 14 at the time and they are now married..
I don't see any shenanigans there.
Back in the 80's I met my ex-wife when she was 14 and I was sixteen. Our birthdays were one week apart and I was just under 2 years older than her.
One month after we met she turned 15 and I turned 17 a week later.
Under the law in our state back then we were both minors. No problems legally and no problems given the time in which we lived.
We went out together for 5 years, cohabitated and then got married, had 2 kids, enjoyed 13 more years of marriage and are still good friends to this day, even though we only had a good 18 year run.
People are too uptight abought age when it comes to teens with teens. If I had done the same thing today, the moment I turned 18 and did not dump her, I would be a child sex offender.
That is bullshit that I would have had to put our relationship on hold for 1 year, 11 months, and 3 weeks because of idiotic arbitrary laws that on paper can not give justice to real people who love each other. My children would not be alive today and my word would be beyond altered had I obeyed the law of man and not the law of my heart.
Yep. That was weird.
Yeah. I mean I can dig hot older women - there are a bunch of advantages. Even as much as I like Bruce, don't know about sleeping with his ex wife though. Bet the family holidays were awkward.
Rarely does a reply make me literally, LOL but you got me with the awkward holidays comment.
Bruce answers the doorbell wearing an ugly Christmas sweater that lights up all the wrong places and yells, "Yippee Ki Yay, motherfucker"!
Ashton leaps into cactus that was in-between the shrubbery by the front door. Demi's too busy spinning pottery with the ghost of Patrick Swazi to notice her new husband is being hunted by her ex.
Not as creepy as a 70 y.o marrying a 20 y.o ..i mean for Kutcher, it's an older woman. so we can at least cross out the P*do part, hopefully?