Danny Masterson’s Rape Trial Declared a Mistrial
Masterson would face up to 45 years in prison if convicted on all three counts.
The judge in Danny Masterson's rape trial has declared a mistrial.
The 46-year-old That '70s Show star was charged in Los Angeles Superior Court with three counts of rape.
The actor pleaded not guilty and has maintained his innocence through his lawyer, who said all acts were consensual, according to the Associated Press. But Masterson opted not to take the stand during the high-profile trial.
Masterson would face up to 45 years in prison if convicted on all counts. However, this afternoon, Judge Charlaine Olmedo declared a mistrial and set the retrial date for March 27, 2023, after stating, “I find the jurors hopelessly deadlocked."
A note to the judge written by jurors read, "We are not even close to coming to a unanimous decision on any count, and are convinced this will not change," per a Variety report.
After the jurors failed to reach a consensus on Nov. 18, Olmedo ordered them to take Thanksgiving week off and continue deliberations on Monday, Nov. 28.
The jury began deliberating again on Monday after two jurors tested positive for COVID-19, with two alternates in place. The jury initially comprised seven women and five men, then turned to six men and six women.
Journalist Tony Ortega tweeted, "Jury is deadlocked, mistrial declared."
All three women–including his ex-girlfriend whom he dated from 2001 to 2003–were members of the Church of Scientology at the time of their assaults, where Masterson currently remains an active member.
The women have claimed that they have been harassed and threatened by the Church of Scientology to keep their allegations against the actor quiet.
"There are no charges against Scientology. But Scientology cannot be avoided," Deputy Los Angeles County District Attorney Reinhold Mueller stated in his closing arguments per Deadline, adding, “The rules it has in place has caused these victims…to act certain ways."
He continued, "Fear of going to law enforcement… certain statements about what is rape and what is not rape. You can't avoid it. These are victims who have had the church as part of their life."
Masterson's defense lawyer claimed the prosecution aimed to bias the jury against his client by continually bringing up Scientology. During closing statements, attorney Philip Cohen tried to discredit the women over "inconsistencies" in their stories, according to a previous report.
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