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LOS ANGELES (AP) — After jury deadlock led to Actor Danny Masterson’s trial failsthe former “70s Show” star is set to stand trial in a Los Angeles court. masterson Accused of raping three women between 2001 and 2003. If convicted, he could face up to 45 years in prison.
The following are key elements, features and issues that will affect the reconsideration. Opening remarks are scheduled to begin on Monday.
A new role for Theory of Scientology
The Church of Scientology featured prominently in Masterson’s trial.it might appear bigger on his body retrialJudge Charlaine Olmedo allowed the expert to testify about Scientology, which she first denied.
Masterson was a prominent member of the church. All three of his accusers are former members who were disillusioned with the agency after the alleged assault, saying the agency and its policies protected Masterson while they found themselves harassed and unwilling Seek help from the authorities. The Church says neither is true.
The two opposing experts set to testify exemplify the stark cultural divide the church sometimes creates. Prosecuting expert Claire Headley, a former official in the Scientology leadership group known as the Sea Org, became a staunch enemy of the church and in 2009 Sue the organization over her experience. The defense expert is Hugh Martin Whitt, a current senior Scientologist and Headley’s estranged stepfather.
defendant
An actor since childhood, Masterson, 47, got his big break as Stephen Hyde on the retro sitcom “70s Show,” which also starred Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Tony Starring Fergules, it aired on Fox from 1998 to 2006. At the time of the alleged attack, he was at the height of his career and the backyard of his house near Hollywood, complete with a swimming pool and jacuzzi, was a social hub. It was also the scene of all three crimes, according to prosecutors. Masterson has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney has repeatedly denied all charges.
first accuser
One of the women Masterson is accused of raping was born into a Scientology family and was part of Masterson’s circle of friends.Almost everyone closest to her was a member, including the late Lisa Marie Presleyshe left the church long before her death in January.
exist witness Now she will be asked to repeat, the woman said that in 2003, when she went to get the keys to Masterson’s home, he gave her a drink that appeared to have a medicinal effect on her and held it in his upstairs bedroom. raped her. She first reported the incident to police in 2004, but was not arrested. She returned to the authorities in 2016.
second plaintiff
Another woman who is set to retell her story is a model and actress who was Masterson’s girlfriend from 1996 to 2002. She joined the church after they started dating. She previously testified that she was living with Masterson in 2001, when he first sexually abused her.She said about a month later she woke up to find masterson raped her. 15 years later she will go to the police.
third plaintiff
The third woman at the center of the trial only recently met Masterson through mutual friends at the church, which she joined as a teenager. She testified that in 2003, Masterson invited her to his home, where they were alone.she says she knows she doesn’t want sex, but he convinced her to get into his jacuzzi and took her to his bed where he raped her. She reported it to the police in 2017.
The Associated Press typically does not name people who claim to be victims of sexual abuse.
other witnesses
Two other women who claimed Masterson raped them, but whose allegations were not part of the charges against him, were allowed to testify that he was prone to such behavior.
Testimony is also planned to come from those who surrounded Masterson and the women at the time, mostly current or former church members.
The witness list also includes investigative detectives and psychologists who specialize in sexual assault and memory.
investigation and arrest
Police revealed they were investigating Masterson in March 2017. Hollywood’s #MeToo storm will start in about six months, and in the middle of it Masterson will be written off “The Ranch,” He reunites with Kutcher in the Netflix western comedy.
he was arrested and charged Three rapes occurred in 2020, and in 2021 a judge ruled there was enough evidence to bring him to trial.
first trial
Masterson’s first trial in a month Started last October. Masterson was released on bail with a large group of friends and family with ties to Scientology and the entertainment industry, including his wife and mother, actress and model Bijou Phillips.
Three plaintiffs gave emotional and often traumatic testimony.
Prosecutor Reinhold Mueller argued that the evidence clearly showed Masterson was a “rapist” who created an environment in his home that allowed him to prey on women and that the church was clearly responsible for the delay in coming forward.
Masterson’s attorney, Phillip Cohen, argued that the women’s testimony was so full of contradictions and inconsistencies that prosecutors implicated Scientology to close holes in their case.
Finally, less than half jurors vote to convict any item. Still, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office decided to try again with a different set of jurors, and the women agreed to appear in court again.
“Despite years of intimidation and harassment, we are fully committed to participating in the next criminal trial,” the two said in a joint statement.
lawyers
Mueller and Cohen will reprise their roles in the retrial. But this time Masterson will also have the services of high-profile attorney Shawn Holley, whose clients include Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Axl Rose and Lindsay Lohan.She had to miss first trial on behalf of former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher’s previous commitment Trevor Bauer in his own sexual assault lawsuit.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. all rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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