'That '70s Show' Actor Danny Masterson Rape Case Ends in Mistrial After Jury Deadlocked

The judge in the rape trial of "That '70s Show" actor Danny Masterson in Los Angeles declared a mistrial Wednesday after jurors remained deadlocked.

Masterson was accused of raping three women, including a former girlfriend, between 2001 and 2003, and the Church of Scientology allegedly persuaded them from going public for years. According to Associated Press, the 46-year-old actor pleaded not guilty last year, and his lawyer said the acts were all consensual.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo said she "find the jurors hopelessly deadlocked." The judge issued that statement after the jury foreman said there was nothing the court could do to move them closer to reaching a decision that everyone was in total agreement. Olmedo set a date for a retrial in March.

On November 18, the jurors said they could still not reach a consensus, so the judge ordered them to take Thanksgiving week off and continue deliberating. A jury of six men and six women resumed deliberations on Monday after two members were replaced due to COVID-19 over the break.

The jury foreman noted that the jurors had voted seven times Tuesday and Wednesday without reaching a consensus on any of the three counts. According to AP, two jurors voted for conviction on the first count, four voted on the second count, and five voted to convict on the third count.

The result was a devastating blow for prosecutors and the three women. The three victims, who gave emotional and graphic testimony in the past days, said they were seeking long overdue justice.

Danny Masterson Rape Victims Were Hesitant to File Complaints Due to Church of Scientology Protocols

After being detained in June 2020, Danny Masterson was released on a $3.3 million bond. Like Masterson, the three women were also affiliated with the Church of Scientology at the time of the alleged incidents.

The accusers claimed that the church's strong policies against public involvement in member disputes made them hesitant to press complaints. After making the accusations public, the three women eventually left the church.

All victims were allegedly raped at the actor's Hollywood Hills home. One of the accusers reported regaining consciousness after Masterson raped her. She recalled being unable to breathe and fearing that she would pass away.

A second accuser noted that Masterson also sexually assaulted her in December 2001 while unconscious. She said Scientology leaders told her to "give him sex whenever he wanted."

She added: "I just needed to do as I was told, and I was not to tell anybody." The woman further noted that after she faced severe retaliation for reporting the crime to the Los Angeles Police Department in 2016, she subsequently sued the church and the "That '70s Show" actor.

Instead of providing a defense, Masterson's lawyers focused on showing the jury the inconsistencies in the testimony of the three women, Fox News reported. The lawyers noted that the accusers had already changed their stories and talked to one another before speaking with the police.

Defense Fails to Distance the 'That '70s Show' Actor Rape Case From the Church of Scientology

The Church of Scientology loomed large over the month-long trial despite the defense team's best efforts to separate the case from it.

"There are no charges against Scientology. But Scientology cannot be avoided," said Deputy Los Angeles County District Attorney Reinhold Mueller in his closing remarks, citing that the company policies are why the Jane Does were silent for so long, Yahoo reported.

"Fear of going to law enforcement... certain statements about rape and what is not rape. You can't avoid it. These victims have had the church as part of their life."

According to Danny Masterson's defense attorney Philip Cohen, the prosecution continually brought up Scientology to sway the jury against his client. Cohen criticized the women's testimonies during closing arguments due to "inconsistencies" in their stories.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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