Danny Masterson, best known for starring as Steven Hyde in “That ‘70s Show,” was found guilty of two counts of rape. The actor appeared in court in Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 31, where the jury of seven women and five men had deliberated for seven days before announcing their verdict, The Guardian reports.
The jury voted 8-4 in favor of conviction on a third count of rape involving a longtime girlfriend of Masterson’s. Because there was no unanimous decision, he was not convicted on that count.
After the verdict was read, the 47-year-old was taken away from the courtroom in handcuffs as his wife Bijou Phillips cried. Other members of Masterson’s family and friends had no visible reaction to the verdict.
The road to finding Danny Masterson guilty of rape was a long one. The first attempt ended in a mistrial in December 2022. However, prosecutors tried again to bring him to justice, alleging that he forcibly raped at least three women between 2001 and 2003, drugging them to do so. They also accused him of using his position within the Church of Scientology to avoid paying for his crimes in the decades since they occurred.
Masterson didn’t take the trial, nor did his lawyers call any witnesses in his defense. Instead, they simply said the women were lying and were working together to bring the actor down. What their motivation would have been for this actions, Masterson’s attorneys didn’t say.
The Church of Scientology was a central figure in both trials, with Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo allowing a former Church official who has since left and spoken out against the organization to testify. Much of the focus of the trial ended up focusing on those who criticized the Church of Scientology and accused it of bullying and threatening former members, as well as on high-ranking current Church officials.
Danny Masterson now faces 30 years in prison. He will be sentenced in early August.
