Jurors started their second day of deliberations Thursday within the retrial of “That ’70s Present” actor Danny Masterson, who was charged with raping three ladies at his Hollywood Hills house between 2001 and 2003.
Superior Courtroom Choose Charlaine Olmedo despatched the seven-woman, five-man panel to start its deliberations simply earlier than 10 am Wednesday after barely greater than at some point of closing arguments by attorneys. Juro’s let the courtroom know they had been leaving for the day at about 4 pm Wednesday.
In his rebuttal argument Wednesday, Deputy District Lawyer Reinhold Mueller advised the jury, “This defendant drugged and raped every one in every of these victims. … It’s time to maintain Mr. Masterson is accountable for what he has accomplished.”
Protection legal professional Philip Kent Cohen had urged jurors throughout his closing argument Tuesday to acquit his consumer, questioning the credibility of the alleged victims.
The jury is the second to listen to the case in opposition to Masterson, 47, who was charged in 2020 with three counts of rape by power or concern involving the three ladies on separate events.
Throughout final yr’s trial, jurors leaned in favor of acquittal on all three counts — voting 10-2 on one rely, 8-4 on one other and 7-5 on the third — however they had been unable to succeed in a unanimous choice, resulting in the thriller final Nov. 30.
Prosecutors confirmed in January that they wished to retry the actor, and the decide rejected a protection try to have the costs dismissed.
In his last remarks to the jury within the retrial, Mueller mentioned the three alleged victims had been — like Masterson — members of the Church of Scientology, and advised the jurors that the church retaliated in opposition to them.
“What occurred after they had been drugged — they had been raped by this man over right here,” the prosecutor mentioned, pointing throughout the courtroom at Masterson. “… You’ve a chance to indicate there may be justice. it does exist.”
However Cohen questioned Tuesday why the panel had heard “a lot about Scientology,” asking jurors if there may very well be issues with the federal government’s case in opposition to Masterson.
Masterson’s lawyer mentioned he was not alleging that there was some “grand conspiracy” in opposition to his consumer, however advised the jurors the alleged victims have spoken with one another regardless of a Los Angeles Police Division detective’s admonition and that their accounts have been tweaked all through the years.
He mentioned there was no forensic proof to assist the prosecution’s competition that the alleged victims’ drinks had been drugged by Masterson.
The Church of Scientology issued a press release late Wednesday criticizing the prosecution’s characterizations of the church’s actions.
“The church has no coverage prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting felony conduct of anybody, Scientologists or not, to legislation enforcement,” in line with the assertion. “Fairly the alternative, church coverage Strictly calls for Scientologists adjust to all legal guidelines of the land. All accusations on the contrary are completely false.”
Exterior the jury’s presence Wednesday, the decide rejected Cohen’s request for both a mistrial, one other probability to argue earlier than the jury or a particular jury instruction on account of the prosecution’s repeated references to the lady allegedly being drugged.
Masterson has been free on bail since his June 2020 arrest by the LAPD’s Theft-Murder Division.
In December 2017, Netflix introduced that Masterson had been fired from the Emmy-winning scripted comedy “The Ranch” amid sexual assault allegations.
The actor mentioned then he was “very dissatisfied,” and added that “it appears as in case you are presumed responsible the second you’re accused.” He additionally “denied the outrageous accusations” and mentioned he regarded ahead to “clearing my identify as soon as and for all.”
A civil swimsuit filed in August 2019 in opposition to Masterson and the Church of Scientology by the three ladies concerned within the felony case and one lady who was not a member of the church alleges they had been stalked and harassed after reporting sexual assault allegations in opposition to the actor to Los Angeles police.
Relating to the lawsuit, the Church of Scientology issued a press release saying, “The church denies the allegations of harassment as apparent, cynical and self-serving fiction, and the church is aware of it is going to be vindidicated.”