Current:Home > InvestLeah Remini Speaks Out After "Dangerous" Danny Masterson Is Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison -TrueNorth Finance Path
Leah Remini Speaks Out After "Dangerous" Danny Masterson Is Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison
View
Date:2025-04-11 23:50:26
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! (1992)
Related
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Barbie bonanza: 'Barbie' tops box office for fourth week straight with $33.7 M
- Miss Universe severs ties with Indonesia after contestants allege they were told to strip
- Northwestern sued again over troubled athletics program. This time it’s the baseball program
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Zooey Deschanel and Property Brothers' Jonathan Scott Are Engaged
- Watch this: Bangkok couple tries to rescue cat from canal with DIY rope and a bucket
- Horoscopes Today, August 13, 2023
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- A central Kansas police force comes under constitutional criticism after raiding a newspaper
Ranking
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniels reflects on his Hollis, Queens, roots
- Ashley Olsen Privately Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Husband Louis Eisner
- James Harden calls 76ers President Daryl Morey a liar and says he won’t play for his team
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- John Legend and Chrissy Teigen's Baby Girl Esti Says Dada in Adorable Video
- Jason Cantrell, husband of New Orleans mayor, dead at 55, city announces
- Russia targets Ukrainian city of Odesa again but Kyiv says it shot down all the missiles and drones
Recommendation
US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
Book excerpt: The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
Ranking SEC quarterbacks in 2023, from Jayden Daniels and Joe Milton to Graham Mertz
Publisher of small Kansas newspaper calls police raid Gestapo tactic but police insist it was justified
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
David McCormick is gearing up for a Senate run in Pennsylvania. But he lives in Connecticut
Billy Porter Calls Out Anna Wintour Over Harry Styles’ Vogue Cover
Pilot and crew member safely eject before Soviet-era fighter jet crashes at Michigan air show