'That '70s Show' star sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for forcible rape conviction
A prosecutor involved in Danny Masterson's rape conviction said the actor "always thought he was going to get away with it."
Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Sept. 7. The "That '70s Show" star was convicted on two charges of forcible rape in May.
"It's been a long time coming for [the victims] to get their justice," Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told People magazine, saying the judge's sentence was "absolutely the right decision."
DANNY MASTERSON SUPPORTED BY ASHTON KUTCHER, MILA KUNIS IN LETTERS TO JUDGE FOR RAPE CASE
Danny Masterson was convicted of two counts of forcible rape in May after a mistrial in December 2022. (Myung J. Chun / Getty Images / File)
Mueller has maintained that Masterson was "consistent in the manner in which he forcibly raped each of his victims."
"He surreptitiously drugged the victims using an alcoholic beverage as the vehicle for administration and then forcibly raped them as they became incapacitated," he said. "This afforded him the opportunity to obtain control and dominance over his victims as he carried out his forcible assaults."
No evidence exists of drugging outside of the victims' testimony.
Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after being convicted of rape. (Myung J. Chun / File)
Masterson was convicted of forcibly raping two women. A jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision on the charge relating to a third victim. The charges stemmed from incidents that occurred between 2001 and 2003. The victims claimed that Masterson drugged them before raping them and then used his status within the Scientology community to silence them.
Mueller knows the victims came forward "at a cost."
"There's a lot of reasons that people are afraid to come forward," he told the outlet. "These victims overcame that. And ultimately, despite the length of time and what issues there may have been in this case, the jury saw through that, made the right decision, came together and found justice for these victims."
DANNY MASTERSON SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS IN PRISON FOR FORCIBLE RAPE
Danny Masterson is photographed outside of court during his trial. (Chris Pizzello / File)
Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after being convicted on two counts of forcible rape in May. The judge who sentenced the actor received nearly 50 letters of support from various individuals, including his "That ’70s Show" co-stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Additionally, Masterson has been defended by "Orange is the New Black" star Taryn Manning, who referred to the actor as a "friend."
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Danny Masterson's "That ‘70s Show" co-stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher wrote letters of support for the actor prior to his sentencing. (SGranitz / WireImage via Getty Images / File)
"Yeah, he made a mistake, but everyone just keep going, keep crucifying him, as if he’s not already suffering," she said in a video shared on Instagram. She also encouraged everyone to "leave him alone."
Bijou Phillips' sister, Chynna, shared a message about prayers Monday. Masterson's sister-in-law posted a graphic that read, "If you don’t feel like Praying, force it. Because something is also forcing you not to pray."
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Danny Masterson plans to appeal the guilty verdict. (Lucy Nicholson / File)
Masterson's legal team plans to appeal the guilty verdict, telling Fox News Digital, "The errors that occurred in this case are substantial and, unfortunately, led to verdicts that were not supported by the evidence. And though we have great respect for the jury in this case and for our system of justice overall, sometimes they get it wrong. And that's what happened here."
"Mr. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he has been convicted and we, and the appellate lawyers, the best and the brightest in the country, are confident that these convictions will be overturned," the actor's lawyer, Shawn Holley, added.
Fox News Digital's Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
