LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — On Thursday, a Los Angeles judge sentenced former “That ’70s Show” show star Danny Masterson to 30 years to life in prison following his conviction for raping two women.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo rendered the lengthy sentence following what the Associated Press described as emotional testimony from Masterson’s victims about the impacts of his actions.
“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,” Olmedo told Masterson during sentencing. “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.”
Masterson has been in custody since May after he was found guilty of two of three counts of rape that took place at his Los Angeles home in 2003, while he was starring in the Fox sitcom “That ’70s Show.”
The jury failed to reach a verdict on a third count of rape in which Masterson was alleged to have sexually assaulted a longtime girlfriend. Prosecutors do not intend to seek a retrial on the third count, according to the Associated Press.
Masterson was best known for his portrayal of the troubled stoner Steven Hyde on “That ’70s Show” which ran on Fox for almost a decade from 1998 until 2006.
