Danny Masterson: That 70s Show actor given 30 years to life in prison for raping two women

Actor Danny Masterson has been given a jail sentence of 30 years to life for raping two women 20 years ago.

Masterson, best known for his role in TV comedy That 70s Show, was handed the prison term after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F Olmedo heard from the women he assaulted, who detailed their trauma and suffering.

The 47-year-old US actor, who has been in custody since May, sat in his suit without a reaction as the pair spoke.

“When you raped me, you stole from me,” said one woman.

“That’s what rape is, a theft of the spirit.”

“You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent. The world is better off with you in prison.”

The other woman, who he also raped in 2003, said Masterson “has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused”.

She told the judge: “I knew he belonged behind bars for the safety of all the women he came into contact with. I am so sorry, and I’m so upset. I wish I’d reported him sooner to the police.”

A mistrial was declared in December 2022 after a jury failed to reach a verdict on three rape counts, and he was retried on all charges.

He was found guilty by a majority decision of two counts on 31 May, after seven days of deliberations, but the jury could not reach a verdict on the third count allegedly involving another woman.

Masterson was sentenced after a defense motion for a new trial was rejected, with his lawyers trying to have the two convictions run concurrently at 15 years to life.

“It’s his life that will be impacted by what you decide today,” Masterson’s lawyer Shawn Holley told the judge.

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