Summary

  • That '70s Show star Danny Masterson has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for his conviction of forcible rape of two women.
  • Masterson's sentencing is the maximum possible sentence, meaning he will not be eligible for parole until 25 and a half years have ed.
  • This sentence could result in Masterson being held in prison for the rest of his life.

That '70s Show star Danny Masterson has received a sentence in his rape trial. The actor is best known for playing Steven Hyde on the long-running sitcom That '70s Show before taking roles on the series Men at Work and The Ranch, the latter of which reunited him with his That '70s Show co-star Ashton Kutcher. This May he was convicted of forcible rape of two women, and he has been held in custody since that point.

Per the Associated Press, Masterson's sentencing has now been handed down. His official sentence is 30 years to life in prison for his convictions. This is the maximum possible sentence, meaning he will not be eligible for parole until 25 and a half years have ed, and he could potentially be held in prison for the rest of his life.

Danny Masterson in The Ranch

This sentence for Danny Masterson is the result of events that began two decades ago. The rapes for which he was convicted both took place at his Los Angeles home in 2003, though he wasn’t publicly accused of these crimes until March 2017. As accusations began to pile up, the actor was fired from The Ranch and dropped by his representatives at United Talent Agency. Later, he was likewise not invited to reprise his role on Netflix's That '90s Show sequel series.

Although he was also accused of three more counts of rape, one acc did not the filing of the lawsuit in August 2019. In June 2020, Masterson was charged with three counts of rape out of those four cases. However, the third case did not lead to a conviction like the other two cases, which were determined in May 2023 after a mistrial was declared due to a deadlocked jury in late 2022.

During his sentencing on September 7, Danny Masterson waived his right to speak beforehand. Although a defense motion for a new trial was argued earlier that day, it was rejected by the judge. After he was read statements by the victims in the convictions, his official sentence was delivered and the star remained in custody.

Source: The Associated Press