Current:Home > reviewsLeah Remini Speaks Out After "Dangerous" Danny Masterson Is Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison -CapitalWay
Leah Remini Speaks Out After "Dangerous" Danny Masterson Is Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison
View
Date:2025-04-24 16:35:14
Leah Remini penned a strong message following Danny Masterson's sentencing for rape.
After the That ‘70s Show alum, who was found guilty of two counts of rape in May, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison, the King of Queens star excoriated both Masterson and the Church of Scientology—of which he is a longtime member—while expressing her support for his victims.
"I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women with the help of Scientology, a multi-billion-dollar criminal organization with tax-exempt status," Remini wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sept. 7. "Hearing the survivors read their victim impact statements aloud in court while the man who raped them and some of the very Scientologists who terrorized them over two decades were just a few feet away displayed a level of bravery that I am in awe of."
Furthermore, Remini, who was raised in the Church of Scientology and has becoming a vocal critic since leaving the organization, thanked the women for speaking up.
"The women who survived Danny's predation fought tirelessly for justice," she added. "Their tenacity, strength, and courage have given hope to all victims of Scientology that justice is possible. For that, we will forever be grateful. To the LAPD detectives, the LA District Attorney's office, Judge Olmedo, and the jury, we thank you for your fair and impartial approach to this case and trial."
Prosecutors had alleged that Masterson, who was arrested and charged on three counts of forcible rape in 2020, sexually assaulted three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003 at his Hollywood Hills home. Masterson's first trial in 2022 was declared a mistrial after a jury was unable to reach unanimous decisions for the three rape charges.
However, during Masterson's retrial, which took place earlier this year, the jury found him guilty on two counts. The jury was unable to did not reach a verdict on the third court.
The three women—identified as Jane Doe #1, Jane Doe #2 and Jane Doe #3—told the court they met Masterson through the Church of Scientology, later accusing the organization of pressuring them into not reporting the allegations to police, according to the Associated Press. The church denied their accusations in a May 31 statement obtained by E! News June 1, noting that the organization "has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone—Scientologists or not—to law enforcement."
Following The Ranch actor's sentencing, his lawyer Shawn Holley maintained that her client was innocent after the sentencing, noting in a statement to multiple outlets that a team of "top appellate lawyers in the country has been reviewing the transcripts of the trial" and "have identified a number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues which they will address in briefs to both state and federal appellate courts."
The attorney—who had sought 15 years to life in prison, according to the Los Angeles Times—further indicated plans to appeal the sentencing.
Masterson, Holley added, "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."
E! News reached out to Masterson's attorneys for comment and has not heard back.
For its part, following Masterson's sentencing, the Church of Scientology released a statement, obtained by NBC News, calling the trial "an unprecedented violation of the First Amendment."
The organization added, "The Church was not a party to this case and religion did not belong in this proceeding as Supreme Court precedent has maintained for centuries."
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
For free, confidential help, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit rainn.org.veryGood! (1712)
Related
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Former No. 1 tennis player Arantxa Sánchez Vicario guilty of fraud, but will avoid prison
- We Found the Best Leggings for Women With Thick Thighs That Are Anti-Chafing and Extra Stretchy
- What to know about Texas’ clash with the Biden administration over Border Patrol access
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- ‘My stomach just sank': Nanny describes frantic day Connecticut mother of five disappeared
- A new attack on a ship in the Gulf of Aden probably was a Houthi drone, UK military says
- Trump-backed Ohio US Senate candidate and businessman Moreno faced discrimination suits, AP finds
- 'Most Whopper
- An Icelandic man watched lava from volcano eruption burn down his house on live TV
Ranking
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Biden brings congressional leaders to White House at pivotal time for Ukraine and U.S border deal
- Gunmen abduct volunteer searcher looking for her disappeared brother, kill her husband and son
- Maine court pauses order that excluded Trump from primary ballot, pending Supreme Court ruling
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Michigan public school district’s Mideast cease-fire resolution stokes controversy
- Jenna Dewan is expecting her third child, second with fiancé Steve Kazee
- Jason Kelce showed his strength on the field and in being open with his emotions
Recommendation
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Barack and Michelle Obama's Love Story Isn't What You Think—It's Even Better
Jenna Dewan Is Pregnant With Baby No. 3, Her 2nd With Fiancé Steve Kazee
Poland’s parliament votes to lift immunity of far-right lawmaker who extinguished Hanukkah candles
Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
Kylie Jenner's New Pink Hair Is Proof She's Back in Her King Kylie Era
Overdraft fees would drop to as little as $3 under Biden proposal
Tree of Life synagogue demolition begins ahead of rebuilding site of deadly antisemitic attack