Current:Home > NewsLeah Remini Speaks Out After "Dangerous" Danny Masterson Is Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison -Wealth Empowerment Academy
Leah Remini Speaks Out After "Dangerous" Danny Masterson Is Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison
View
Date:2025-04-16 06:24:05
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! (76332)
Related
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Monkeypox cases in the U.S. are way down — can the virus be eliminated?
- Climate Change Is Transforming the Great Barrier Reef, Likely Forever
- Shanghai Disney Resort will close indefinitely starting on Halloween due to COVID-19
- Connie Chiume, South African 'Black Panther' actress, dies at 72
- Today’s Climate: July 15, 2010
- PHOTOS: If you had to leave home and could take only 1 keepsake, what would it be?
- Here Are All of the Shows That Have Been Impacted By the WGA Strike 2023
- British swimmer Adam Peaty: There are worms in the food at Paris Olympic Village
- Trump ally Steve Bannon subpoenaed by grand jury in special counsel's Jan. 6 investigation
Ranking
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Bindi Irwin Shares Health Update After Painful, Decade-Long Endometriosis Journey
- Ron DeSantis defends transport of migrants to Sacramento, says he doesn't have sympathy for sanctuary states
- Today’s Climate: July 29, 2010
- Big Lots store closures could exceed 300 nationwide, discount chain reveals in filing
- Second woman says Ga. Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker paid for abortion
- Biden vetoes bill to cancel student debt relief
- A kind word meant everything to Carolyn Hax as her mom battled ALS
Recommendation
Chief beer officer for Yard House: A side gig that comes with a daily swig.
Get 2 Bareminerals Tinted Moisturizers for the Less Than the Price of 1 and Replace 4 Products at Once
Shakira Seemingly References Gerard Piqué Breakup During Billboard’s Latin Women in Music Gala
After a patient died, Lori Gottlieb found unexpected empathy from a stranger
'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
Today’s Climate: July 28, 2010
Unfounded fears about rainbow fentanyl become the latest Halloween boogeyman
WWE Wrestling Champ Sara Lee's Cause of Death Revealed