‘That 70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson faces 30 years to life in prison for rape

A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday convicted actor Danny Masterson of two counts of rape in a retrial that focused on allegations the “That ‘70s Show’ star raped three women between 2001 and 2003.

The verdict sided with two of Masterson’s accusers, but the panel was unable to reach a verdict on similar allegations by a longtime girlfriend of Masterson.

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The actor, who was led from court in handcuffs after being a free man throughout the proceedings, faces 30 years to life in prison when he is sentenced. The second trial made the Church of Scientology – which Masterson is a member of – a prominent element.

Here are some of the key elements that emerged during the three-week retrial and what’s next for the actor.

What’s next for Masterson

The actor will remain in custody while he awaits sentencing, which hasn’t been scheduled yet.

The women Masterson is convicted of raping could give victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing, and the judge is likely to hear from Masterson supporters.

Masterson’s lawyers didn’t address the verdict immediately after it happened, but they’re likely to appeal.

Direct discussion of drugging

A judge in the second trial allowed the prosecution to say directly that Masterson drugged all three women before raping them, in what may be the biggest difference from the first trial. Previously, the drugging could only be implied when the women testified to feeling disoriented, losing memory, and going unconscious to a degree that could not be explained by the alcohol they had consumed.

“The defendant drugs his victims to gain control. He does this to take away his victims’ ability to consent,” Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson told jurors during her closing argument May 16.

The defense says there is no such evidence beyond the women’s stories, and suggested the prosecution was using the stories because of the absence of evidence of any force or violence. Defense attorney Philip Cohen made clear to jurors that “there is no drugging charge.”

The defendant

Masterson, 47, an actor since childhood, got his major break when he was cast as Stephen Hyde on the retro sitcom “That ‘70s Show,” which also starred Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace and would run on Fox from 1998 until 2006.

At the time of the alleged assaults, his career was at its peak, and his house near Hollywood with a backyard pool and Jacuzzi was a social hub.

It was also, according to prosecutors, the scene of all three crimes. Masterson had pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have repeatedly denied all the allegations.

Investigation and arrest

Police revealed they were investigating Masterson in March of 2017.

Hollywood’s #MeToo firestorm would begin about six months later, and in the midst of it Masterson would be written off “The Ranch,” a Netflix Western comedy where he had reunited with Kutcher.

He was arrested and charged with three rapes in 2020, and in 2021 a judge ruled the evidence was strong enough for him to be tried.

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