Current:Home > StocksLeah Remini Speaks Out After "Dangerous" Danny Masterson Is Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison -Blueprint Capital School
Leah Remini Speaks Out After "Dangerous" Danny Masterson Is Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison
View
Date:2025-04-18 00:20:33
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! (99211)
Related
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Biden administration warns consumers to avoid medical credit cards
- Shaquil Barrett and Wife Jordanna Announces She's Pregnant 2 Months After Daughter's Death
- Ted Lasso’s Brendan Hunt Is Engaged to Shannon Nelson
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- President Biden: Climate champion or fossil fuel friend?
- Scientists Are Pursuing Flood-Resistant Crops, Thanks to Climate-Induced Heavy Rains and Other Extreme Weather
- SVB, now First Republic: How it all started
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Activists Laud Biden’s New Environmental Justice Appointee, But Concerns Linger Over Equity and Funding
Ranking
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- 25 Cooling Products for People Who Are Always Hot
- Manure-Eating Worms Could Be the Dairy Industry’s Climate Solution
- Protecting Mexico’s Iconic Salamander Means Saving one of the Country’s Most Important Wetlands
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Pennsylvania’s Dairy Farmers Clamor for Candidates Who Will Cut Environmental Regulations
- Lead Poisonings of Children in Baltimore Are Down, but Lead Contamination Still Poses a Major Threat, a New Report Says
- Charlie Puth Blasts Trend of Throwing Objects at Performers After Kelsea Ballerini's Onstage Incident
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Inside Clean Energy: Here’s How Compressed Air Can Provide Long-Duration Energy Storage
The dark side of the influencer industry
Hard times are here for news sites and social media. Is this the end of Web 2.0?
Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
How Is the Jet Stream Connected to Simultaneous Heat Waves Across the Globe?
New York Is Facing a Pandemic-Fueled Home Energy Crisis, With No End in Sight
In North Carolina Senate Race, Global Warming Is On The Back Burner. Do Voters Even Care?