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Nearly three years after Danny Masterson was first arrested on three counts of forcible rape — and six months since the first trial ended in a mistrial — the That ’70s Show star was convicted on two of the three charges Wednesday, according to Variety.

The jury first started deliberations on May 17, before reaching a verdict two weeks later on May 31, a similarly lengthy deciding process to the first trial, which took nearly two weeks of deliberation before the jury declared it was deadlocked. Masterson faces up to 30 years in prison on the two convictions,...

Danny Masterson was found guilty on Wednesday of raping two women at his Los Angeles home in the early 2000s. But in a split verdict, the jury couldn’t reach a decision on another sexual assault charge.

The jurors, seven women and five men, convicted the That ’70s Show actor on forcible rape charges involving two women. They were split on a charge relating to ex-girlfriend Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, who has publicly identified herself as one of Masterson’s accusers, with most favoring guilty, eight to four.

Masterson, who was taken into custody, faces 30 years to life in prison.

The decision caps off a retrial in one of the most high-profile criminal cases of the #MeToo movement. The investigation into Masterson was initiated in 2017, when three women came forward with allegations around the same time Harvey Weinstein was publicly accused of sexually assaulting multiple women. In November, a mistrial was declared...

The jury in Danny Masterson’s rape retrial has begun deliberations.

The panel went behind closed doors this morning not long after the conclusion of the prosecution’s final rebuttal and a last unsuccessful move by the defense to have a mistrial declared.

Following closing arguments on May 16 by deputy D.A. Ariel Anson and then closing arguments by defense attorney Phillip Cohen, deputy D.A. Reinhold Mueller was the last person to address the jury in the downtown LA courtroom, before Judge Charlaine Olmedo sent the panel to come up with a verdict.

Facing over 40 years behind bars if found guilty on a trio of rape charges, Masterson’s first trial started on October 18, 2022 and ended in a mistrial being declared on November 30 after the jury remained deadlocked.

Despite attempts by the defense to get the case dismissed, the retrial of the That 70s Show actor began on April...

Update, 3:51 Pm: “For every inconsistency, there will be some excuse to make up for it,” proclaimed defense attorney Phillip Cohen Tuesday afternoon of the prosecution’s case in his last pitch in Danny Masterson’s rape retrial.

“I’m not claiming that there is some grand conspiracy,” the lawyer told the jury in his closing statement of the three Jane Does who Masterson is alleged to have sexually assaulted. “But with respect to the Jane Does,” their stories “have been tweaked, it doesn’t take a whole lot …a tweak here, massaging a word there,” the colorfully attired attorney added of what the three former Scientologists have said, and have perhaps said to each other since the alleged rapes occurred over 20 years ago in the former That 70s Show actor and prominent Scientologist’s Hollywood Hills home.

Putting the notion of “contamination” by the trio and the prosecution at...

Closing statements for Danny Masterson’s criminal rape retrial ended on Wednesday morning in court in Downtown Los Angeles, and the case now goes to the jury to deliberate. Prosecutors harkened back to violent allegations that Danny Masterson drugged and raped three women during their closing argument for the That ’70s Show star’s retrial and asked the jury to hold Masterson accountable and convict him. Masterson’s attorneys, meanwhile, pointed to inconsistencies in the victims’ stories that they said tarnished their credibility.

As longtime Scientology reporter Tony Ortega reported...

The jury foreman in the rape trial of Danny Masterson said evolving details and other “credibility” issues in his three accusers’ stories ultimately led to a mistrial, while a lack of preparedness from prosecutors and LAPD detectives who testified certainly didn’t help.

But the Church of Scientology, he said, was a nonfactor – as jurors never really concerned themselves with why the three women chose not to immediately report the “That ’70s Show” star to police. The foreman, going only by his first name Earl, spoke candidly on a Thursday episode of “The Sensible Podcast” with host Chris Shelton and Tony Ortega, who writes “The Underground Bunker” blog about Scientology.

Earl said the jury of six men and six women got “heated” during deliberations, but remained civil and took their task seriously, going through all the witness testimony in meticulous detail. He said that while “there were several people on...

In sports parlance, the prosecutors pursuing three rape charges against Danny Masterson got blown out.

Not shut out – that would have meant a full-on acquittal for the “That ’70s Show” star. Instead, the jury of 12 could not reach a verdict after a two-week deliberation process broken up by a Thanksgiving break and the loss of two jurors to Covid-19, ending in a mistrial declared last Wednesday.

But the score wasn’t pretty for the L.A. district attorney: 10-2 favored acquittal on the first count, 8-4 on the second and 7-5 on the third.

For most court observers, the vote total the jury revealed at the request of Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo was a full-on shocker. Now Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller has a fraught decision to make: Retry the case at risk of being embarrassed again, or suffer the fallout of letting one of the #MeToo movement’s highest-stakes...

A mistrial was called Wednesday in the criminal rape trial of That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson, a stunning result for the jury that was frustrated and deadlocked going into the Thanksgiving break – then shaken up when two jurors caught Covid and were replaced with alternates.

Prosecutors have the option of scheduling a new trial, and the judge set March 27 as the date to start fresh, with a Jan. 10 status hearing next. But the result of this trial would do nothing to encourage prosecutors, who also have the option to drop the matter – because even with fresh jurors, the vote wasn’t close.

The new jury, after indicating once again in a note Wednesday that they were nowhere near unanimous, was called into the courtroom Wednesday and, at the judge’s request, revealed the current state of their votes: For count one, two guilty and 10 not guilty; for count two,...

Updated with retrial date, plus Jane Does and defense lawyer statement: Danny Masterson’s trial for forcible rape has been declared a mistrial.

The jury in the former That ’70s Show star’s trial say they were unable to reach a verdict on any of the three criminal counts that Masterson faced.

The six-man/six-woman panel informed Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo on Wednesday afternoon that they were stuck. “After thorough and considerable discussion, it is clear that we as jurors are adamant about maintaining our individual positions on each of the three counts,” the jurors said in a letter read aloud by Olmedo. Soon after, the judge formally declared a mistrial, something the defense has sought almost since Day 1 of testimony back in late October.

Related Story Harvey Weinstein Is A "Degenerate Rapist" Who Used Hollywood "Power To Prey On Women," Prosecutor Says In Closing Argument Related...

The jury in Danny Masterson’s rape trial has resumed deliberations with two new members after a pair of positive Covid tests among the panel this morning.

The Los Angeles jury had deliberated for two-plus days when they told Judge Charlaine Olmedo on November 18 that they are deadlocked on all three counts of forcible rape. The judge then sent the jurors home for Thanksgiving week, and when court reconvened today downtown, she dismissed two jurors after they tested positive for Covid. Two alternatives jurors then joined the panel, and their deliberations continued.

Masterson, who starred on That ’70s Show and The Ranch, faces up to 45 years in state prison if found guilty on all three counts. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office and Masterson’s Phillip Cohen-led defense presented and concluded their very different closing arguments on November 15 after nearly three weeks of testimony in Superior Court.

Two jurors with Covid symptoms and positive tests were excused Monday from the Danny Masterson rape trial, and two alternates were seated – meaning the panel of now six men and six women is starting deliberations from scratch.

After nearly three days of tussling with three separate charges, the original panel of seven women and five men had not agreed on any of them before breaking ahead of Thanksgiving week, telling the judge in a note that they were deadlocked. To get a conviction, Masterson must be found guilty in at least two of the charged cases – California’s statute of limitations does not allow individual sexual assault charges as old as the ones against the “That ’70s Show” star to be prosecuted.

Another alternate juror, who said she was contagious with strep throat, was also excused. One juror had sat for part of the first day of testimony last month,...

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The jury in Danny Masterson’s rape trial said on Friday that it’s at an impasse on all of the charges.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo directed them to resume deliberations on Nov. 28 after Thanksgiving week despite being “hopelessly deadlocked,” since it hasn’t been long enough to declare a mistrial. Jurors have been considering the trio of rape charges against the That ’70s Show star since Wednesday.

Masterson, charged with raping three women from 2001 to 2003, faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted on all counts. He’s pleaded not guilty, maintaining that all of the women agreed to consensual sex.

Defense attorney Phillip Cohen pushed back on jurors resuming deliberations, arguing that they’d be exposed to evidence not in the record.

“Although the amount of time the trial has taken would make two days seem insufficient, it...

A jury deliberating criminal rape charges against “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson on Friday said they were “unable to come to a unanimous decision” in all three cases, but the judge said she would have them back for more deliberations after a break for the holidays.

The jury began deliberating late Tuesday and in earnest on Wednesday morning, but after more than two full days were still not aligned. The judge said that wasn’t enough time for full deliberations, and that she would call the panel back Nov. 28, meaning the courtroom would be dark for the entire Thanksgiving holiday week.

Defense attorney Phillip Cohen argued that the jury would be visiting with relatives and friends over Thanksgiving break – 10 full days to read and hear information about the case. But Judge Charlaine Olmeda said it’s not unusual for juries to take holiday breaks, that her decision would stand.

Danny Masterson will not discover his fate on three counts of forcible rape until at least after Thanksgiving.

After less than three days of deliberations by the jury, the panel has just told Judge Charlaine Olemdo they are deadlocked on all three counts, and cannot reach an unanimous verdict. Deciding that three days isn’t enough to declare a mistrial, the LA Superior Court judge has sent the jurors home for Thanksgiving. With the defense protesting, Judge Olemdo gave the panel instructions to return on November 28 to start their deliberations again .

Masterson faces up to 45 years in state prison if found guilty on all three counts. The LA County District Attorney’s office and Masterson’s Phillip Cohen-led defense presented and concluded their very different closing arguments on November 15 after nearly three weeks of testimony in the Dtla trial.

Masterson was arrested in June 2020 on three counts of forcible...

Update, 3:58 Pm : “When you review the evidence you are to consider evidence that is reasonable and only evidence that is reasonable,” Deputy L.A. County District Attorney Reinhold Mueller said to jurors in the Danny Masterson rape trial this afternoon in his final statement. “If something is unreasonable to you, you must reject it.”

In contrast to a somewhat pugilistic closing statement by primary defense lawyer Phillip Cohen, Mueller used his last words to the jury before deliberations to ease back to the prosecution’s core case. The panel is currently in the jury room until at least 4 p.m. or so. It will then resume their deliberations tomorrow morning. With the Thanksgiving holiday week fast approaching, it is very likely the jury could come back with a verdict in the next day or so. If found guilty, the former That ‘70s Show star could land in prison for up to 45 years.

The rape trial of “That ’70s Show” star and prominent Scientologist Danny Masterson went to the jury for deliberations Tuesday afternoon following more than a month of testimony. After getting instructions from the judge, the panel briefly began deliberating before going home for the night, and will begin again on Wednesday morning.

Closing arguments began first thing Tuesday, with prosecutors wrapping more than a month of testimony by painting the “That ’70s Show” star as an entitled “upstat” – a church term for its highest-ranking members – who sexually attacked young, vulnerable women by bulldozing through clear boundaries, knowing there would be no consequences.

“Mr. Masterson has been sitting here in court for the last four weeks or so. He’s always well dressed and well groomed,” Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told the jury and courtroom gallery – which on Tuesday was packed with well-dressed Scientologists. “I can assure you these victims have a different image.

Danny Masterson has opted not to testify in his ongoing rape trial, he told the court in downtown Los Angeles Monday morning.

The That ’70s Show star has been charged with three counts of forceable rape dating from 2001 to 2003. He has denied the allegations and faces 45 years to life in prison if convicted. Masterson’s decision not to testify follows weeks of intense testimonies from the three women attached to the rape charges, and from a fourth woman (Ghost Dog actress Tricia Vessey) who also alleged that Masterson raped her,...

Danny Masterson has decided not to take the stand in his rape trial.

The former That ’70s Show star told Judge Charlaine Olemedo today that, after discussions with his legal team, he would not testifying his own defense.

With the prosecution concluding its case after almost a month of testimony and the Phillip Cohen-led defense opting to call no witnesses, closing arguments are penciled in to start Tuesday. After that, the matter of three counts of forcible rape will go to the jury for deliberations.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Olemdo has long said she hoped to have the Dtla trial resolved before the start of of Thanksgiving week — a target she looks pretty set to hit at this point.

First arrested in 2020 and free on just over a 3 million bail, Masterson is looking at a possible maximum sentence of 45 years to life in California state prison if found guilty.

Testimony in the criminal rape trial of Danny Masterson has concluded, as prosecutors rested their case Monday and lawyers for the “That ’70s Show” star indicated they would not call any witnesses. Closing arguments were set to begin Tuesday.

Four women – including an unexpected 11th-hour witness whose allegations are not among the charges but echoed that of the previous three – all testified over the past few weeks that Masterson raped them at his Los Angeles home after they began mysteriously drifting in and out of consciousness. The witnesses, including a former longtime girlfriend of Masterson’s, said the attacks happened between 1998 and 2003.

Masterson was not necessarily expected to testify on his own behalf, though it comes as some surprise that his lawyer, Phillip Cohen, will not present any defense. Cohen struggled to gain traction cross-examining witness, often showing frustration and repeatedly calling for a mistrial.

With the trial nearing a conclusion,...