Masterson

Actor Danny Masterson who is best known for his role in the sitcom That 70’s Show was sentenced to 30 years in jail for abusing two women on September 7. The women gave emotional testimonies about their pain and suffering from the incident which occurred two decades ago.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo sentenced Masterson after hearing the testimonies of the two women and pleas for justice from their attorneys.

The actor has been in custody since May and seemed to show no emotion after sentencing, not flinching even a little bit as the judge read out the sentence. He continues to say that he is innocent.

In December last year, a mistrial was declared when the jury failed to reach any verdict on the abuse count. He was then retried earlier this year. Masterson waived his right to say something after sentencing and his wife, Bijou Phillips was teary-eyed.

Masterson

Both abuses occurred in his home in Hollywood in 2003 at the height of his That 70’s Show fame. In addition to the two counts he was found guilty of, he was also charged with a third count of rape allegation for raping his long-time girlfriend for which no verdict was reached by the jury.

The sentence given by the judge is actually the maximum amount allowed by law which means Masterson will only be allowed parole after serving 25 ½ years.

“I know that you’re sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you. But Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s voice and choice. One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions and their consequences,” said judge Olmedo.

His lawyer Shawn Holley maintains that he is innocent alleging that the appellate lawyers have identified a “number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues with his convictions which they are confident will be overturned.”

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The photo above is from Wikipedia