Star of the series “That ’70s Show”, actor Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison, the maximum sentence, after being found guilty of two rapes committed in 2001 and 2003. Following the verdict, the victims emerge from the silence.
This Thursday, September 7, a Los Angeles court delivered its verdict for the Danny Masterson case: convicted of two rapes committed in 2001 and 2003 in his Hollywood Hills home, the actor was sentenced to 30 years in prison, or the maximum penalty incurred. Of the three complainants, justice ruled in favor of two of them.
Mainly recognized for his role in the series That ’70s Show, the actor, an active member of the Church of Scientology, is now registered on the sex offender file. Following this verdict, the reactions of the three victims – called Jane Doe, the equivalent of Madame X in the United States – were made public by Deadline.
“What makes the situation even more dramatic is the refusal of the accused to recognize the seriousness of his actions, not only towards me but towards so many others.”, regrets the first of the three victims, named Jane Doe #1. She adds : “He didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused me.”
In her letter, the complainant, also a Scientologist, explains that her mother cut off all contact with her. She criticizes him in particular for involving Scientology in this affair. “As far as I know, my mother is still alive, but she is no longer part of my daily life because the accused raped me and I reported him to the police. Which is strictly prohibited in Scientology. It is considered a serious crime.”
The second complainant discusses in particular the consequences of the rape she suffered: “The lasting effects of rape are pernicious because they silently hijack all the daily efforts we try to make to restore meaning to our lives.
Make no mistake: even though it was a long time ago, what you did to me by hurting me emotionally, mentally and physically still reverberates and lingers in my body in the form of bodily pain.”
The Deadline site provides the three reactions of the plaintiffs:
Read Jane Doe’s speech #1
Read Jane Doe’s speech #2
Read Jane Doe’s speech #3
The end of this trial was accompanied by a controversy surrounding actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, two former playing partners of Danny Masterson in the series That ’70s Show.
The actors are singled out for having written letters to the judge to defend the accused. On Ashton Kutcher’s official Instagram account, the couple apologized through a 58-second video.