Danny Masterson (Archivfoto)
Foto: Wade Payne / Wade Payne/Invision/AP
Der US-Schauspieler Danny Masterson ist wegen Vergewaltigung zu 30 Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. Richterin Charlaine Olmedo setzte das Strafmaß am Donnerstag in Los Angeles fest. Der 47-Jährige war Ende Mai in einem Strafprozess schuldig gesprochen worden.
Zwölf Geschworene befanden Masterson damals für schuldig, zwei Frauen im Jahr 2003 vergewaltigt zu haben, wie die Staatsanwaltschaft mitteilte. In einem dritten Fall von Vergewaltigungsvorwürfen einer weiteren Frau konnte sich die Jury aber nicht auf ein einstimmiges Urteil einigen.
The actor consistently denied the accusations. He insisted that all sexual acts were consensual throughout the trial.
The initial criminal trial concluded without any outcome.
Masterson war mit der Comedyserie »That ’70s Show« (»Die wilden Siebziger«) bekannt geworden, in der er von 1998 bis 2006 den stets Sonnenbrille tragenden Steven Hyde spielte.
It was already the second trial against the actor. The first criminal trial ended without a result in November 2022. The jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict in any of the three cases at that time. The presiding judge subsequently declared a mistrial. The prosecution reopened the case this year.
The police investigations started in 2017. Among the plaintiffs was also a former girlfriend of the actor. The women described similar circumstances, stating that Masterson drugged them in his house and then raped them. The controversial Scientology organization, which identifies itself as a church, was also mentioned in the trial. Masterson is a prominent member, and according to US media reports, the plaintiffs were also members of the organization at some point.
Masterson silently attended the announcement of the sentence on Thursday, as reported by the „Los Angeles Times“. Several family members were present in the courtroom, including his wife, actress Bijou Phillips. The couple has been married since 2011 and has a daughter.