Warning: This story contains graphic details of alleged rape.
Danny Masterson’ssexual assault trialconcluded with closing arguments on Tuesday.
Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller called theThat ’70s Showalum, 46, “a man who was controlling and a man for whom no never meant no” in the prosecution’s closing statement.
Mueller continued to detail the actor’s alleged behavior, saying, “If you were incapacitated in his bed, he would rape you. If you were at his home and you were not yet intoxicated, he would offer you the alcohol to get you there and he would forcibly rape you. And if you were in a relationship with him, he would control you.”
He asked for the jury to hold Masterson accountable for his actions and “show him that no actually means no.” Mueller also referencedthe experiences of the alleged victims, including C.B., J.B., and N.T.
He said C.B. — a model who was Masterson’s girlfriend for five or six years — was told she needed to become a Scientologist and dissociate from her friends and family months into her relationship with Masterson.
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“What she was left with was being in this guy’s world. His friends, his circle, and she gave up everything else… She did it willingly because she believed this church was going to save her life,” Mueller said of C.B. and Masterson’s relationship.
Mueller detailed J.B.’s allegations, including how she was allegedly raped and choked at his home, and told the courtroom, “Her words were ‘I thought I was gonna die. I’d never seen his face like that, so close, so scary.'”
A similar account was shared while Mueller detailed N.T.’s allegations of forcible rape. “Remember, with Mr. Masterson, no never means no,” Mueller said. “Despite that condition on the upfront, he’s going to have it his way… To hell with what she wants or doesn’t want.”
Masterson’s attorney Philip Cohen then delivered the defense’s closing statement. He began, “This case has been maddening for me, and it started from the opening statement.” He added that the government “want[s] to win this case” rather than wanting justice.
Cohen accused the District Attorney of ignoring “the contradictions and fabrications” that came from alleged victims and some witnesses. He also introduced money, revenge, anger, jealousy and sadness as motivators for witness testimony.
The attorney then addressed jurors directly, saying “it doesn’t matter" if they don’t like Masterson, Scientology or Cohen himself, but they should lead with the “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” directive.
“You must not let bias, sympathy, prejudice or public opinion influence your decision,” he added.
The closing statements began one day after Masterson told Judge Charlaine Olemedo thathe would not testify in his own defense, according to NBC News. The judge asked Masterson if he consulted with his attorneys about his decision to not take the stand and he replied, “I have, your honor.”
Masterson was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003. Hepleaded not guiltyto all three charges in January 2021, and a Los Angeles judge ordered him last yearto stand trial.
All of the alleged crimes occurred at Masterson’s home, prosecutors say, andall three accusers took the standto detail their allegations last May in a preliminary hearing.
The actor, who has been married to actress and modelBijou Phillipssince 2011, faces a maximum sentence of 45 years to life in state prison.
Danny Masterson.Michael Buckner/Getty Images for The George Lopez Foundation
During the trial’sopening statements, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller detailed the accusations from three women who alleged Mastersonhad sex with them without their consent.
The alleged victims were Scientologists, a church Masterson has been a part of for years. The Church of Scientology was a key theme in the case, despite the judge’s efforts to keep the focus on the alleged rape. “This is not going to become a trial on Scientology,” Judge Olmedo said at a pre-trial hearing.
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Many of the allegations against Masterson first surfaced in March 2017 when the LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division confirmed an investigation was taking place into sexual assault allegations against the actor. In November 2017, HuffPost reported thata fourth womanhad accused Masterson of raping her in the early 2000s.
Netflix announced that it hadcut ties with Mastersona month later, as did the United Talent Agency. Four accusers thenfiled a lawsuit against Masterson and the Church of Scientologyin 2019. Official charges were filed against Masterson a year later.
f you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
