Danny Masterson enters state prison on rape conviction as mugshot released
Actor convicted of raping two women
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The mugshot for That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson has been released as he begins his life sentence in a California prison.
The actor was convicted of raping two women two decades ago and sentenced in September. He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years.
On Wednesday, 47-year-old Masterson was admitted to North Kern State Prison. His first prison mug shot shows him wearing orange prison attire with long hair and a beard.
He had been held in Los Angeles County jail while post-sentencing hearings were held and issues resolved, including the turnover of all the guns he owned, some of which had to be located, according to The Associated Press.
The sitcom actor was found guilty of two counts of forcible rape by a jury of seven women and five men on 31 May, 2023, following seven days of deliberation.
Masterson had initially been accused of drugging and raping three women at his home between 2001 and 2003. He was convicted of raping two of the women in 2003, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the third allegation from November 2001, brought forward by a former girlfriend.
A first trial ended in a mistrial in 2022 with jurors deadlocked on all three counts.
During both trials, prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks.
The women had blamed the church for dissuading them from reporting Masterson to police.
His sentence was handed down on 7 September by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F Olmedo, after she had rejected a defence motion for a new trial.
“Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and that’s why you are here,” Judge Olmedo said at the time.
Masterson’s lawyers said they plan to appeal the conviction.
His wife, actor Bijou Phillips, filed for divorce in the weeks that followed after 12 years of marriage.