Los Angeles prosecutors will retry That ‘70s Present actor Danny Masterson on three rape counts after a hopelessly deadlocked jury led to a mistrial in his first trial in November.
The LA County District Lawyer’s Workplace declared prosecutors’ plans in courtroom filings and at a Tuesday listening to, the place Superior Courtroom Choose Charlaine F. Olmedo rejected a defence movement to dismiss the fees.
The transfer comes regardless of prosecutors failing to get even half of the earlier jury to vote to convict on any of the counts towards Masterson, who’s charged with the rape of three girls, together with a former girlfriend, at his dwelling between 2001 and 2003.
“We’re happy that Danny Masterson won’t be permitted to easily escape felony accountability,” two of the three girls and the husband of 1 mentioned in a joint assertion launched via their attorneys. “Regardless of struggling years of intimidation and harassment, we’re fully dedicated to collaborating within the subsequent felony trial.”
The Related Press doesn’t usually identify individuals who say they’ve been sexually abused.
The choose tentatively set the retrial to start in late March.
The 46-year-old Masterson had no remark to reporters exterior courtroom after Tuesday’s listening to, and his lawyer didn’t reply to an e-mail requesting remark.
He has pleaded not responsible, and his lawyer has mentioned the acts have been all consensual.
The Church of Scientology performed a significant function throughout the month-long trial, with Masterson a member and all three girls former members. Prosecutors mentioned the church dissuaded them from going public for years, which the church has denied.
The costs date to a interval when Masterson was on the peak of his fame, starring from 1998 till 2006 as Steven Hyde on Fox’s That ‘70s Present. The present made stars of Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace and is getting an upcoming Netflix reboot with That ‘90s Present.
