The That ’70s Show star Danny Masterson was seen blowing a kiss to his wife Bijou Phillips in a court sketch after he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for rape.
Phillips was present at the sentencing with Masterson’s family members, Variety reported. She also witnessed two of the women he was convicted of raping give their victim impact statements and the Judge Charlaine Olmedo tells Masterson, “Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s voice and choice. Your actions 20 years ago were criminal, and that is why you are here,” according to the outlet.
Masterson’s defense attorney Shawn Holley quoted a statement to PEOPLE that he will appeal the verdict.
A Los Angeles Superior Court jury found Masterson guilty of two counts of rape in May, as per the Los Angeles Times. The jury deliberated for more than seven days and could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count of rape, the outlet reported.
Upon the verdict announcement, Masterson displayed minimal emotion, as reported by L.A. journalist Meghann Cuniff. She observed that his family members were “fighting back tears,” and Phillips also began to weep upon his conviction.
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Cuniff reported Judge Olmedo as telling her, “Can you maintain your composure? I know it’s hard. But if not I need you to step outside.”
PEOPLE reported that Phillips was “shocked and devastated” by the conviction.
The insider said, “She wasn’t prepared for the verdict. She never expected him to be found guilty. She couldn’t believe that he was taken into custody right away and remanded.”
The source added that Phillips was “terrified about the sentencing.” Masterson was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003. He has been out of jail on a $3.3 million bail since his arrest. In January 2021, he entered a plea of not guilty to all three charges.
During that period, Masterson’s attorney, Tom Mesereau, released a statement to PEOPLE, stating, “Mr. Masterson is innocent, and we’re confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify.”
Mesereau continued, “Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year-old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed, but they and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out. The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false.”
All of the alleged crimes occurred at Masterson’s home, prosecutors say, and all three accusers testified against him in May 2021 in a preliminary hearing.
Masterson faced his initial trial for the allegations in late 2022, but a mistrial was declared due to the jurors’ inability to reach a unanimous verdict. Ten of 12 of jurors wanted to acquit Masterson based on the evidence presented.
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The allegations against Masterson first emerged in March 2017 when the LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division confirmed an investigation was underway into sexual assault allegations against the actor.
In November 2017, HuffPost published a report stating that a fourth woman had come forward, alleging that Masterson had raped her in the early 2000s.After the allegations surfaced, Masterson was fired from the Netflix series The Ranch — which he starred in with his former ’70s Show costar Ashton Kutcher. United Talent Agency also dropped him as a client.
