US actor and Scientology member Danny Masterson was found guilty Wednesday of raping two women at his Hollywood Hills home. Masterson, known for his participation in the television series “That ’70s Show” and “The Ranch,” was found guilty of two counts of rape that occurred between 2001 and 2003. However, the jury failed to agree on a third rape charge.
This was the second rape trial Masterson faced. The first trial was declared a mistrial in November after another jury failed to reach a unanimous decision. After the verdict was read, Masterson, 47, was remanded into custody. He now awaits sentencing, which could result in a sentence of 30 years to life in prison.
Masterson, affiliated with Scientology, rose to fame with the 1998 series “That ’70s Show,” where he played the role of Steven Hyde alongside Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher. He later worked again with Kutcher in the Netflix series “The Ranch,” but was fired in 2017 and his character was dropped after Los Angeles police confirmed they were investigating multiple rape allegations against him. At the time, prosecutors dismissed two additional sexual assault cases for lack of evidence.
During closing arguments at trial, prosecutors asserted that Masterson “drugged and raped each of these victims” and asked the jury to hold him accountable for his actions. All three complainants were members of the Church of Scientology at the time and alleged that church authorities urged them not to contact the police.
Masterson’s attorneys questioned during their closing arguments the focus on Scientology and suggested that bias against the church may have influenced the jury’s decision. So far, the Church of Scientology has not responded to AFP’s requests for comment.
The jury deliberated for seven days and was unable to reach a verdict on the third rape charge, which involved a former girlfriend of Masterson.