Danny Masterson Rape Mistrial: Jury Foreman Dishes On 'Inconsistencies' In Testimonies, Says Scientology Didn't Influence Voting
Dec. 8 2022, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
Late last month, Danny Masterson got off scot-free in his rape case, as after pleading not guilty to sexual assault charges hurled by three women, the 12-person jury couldn't come to an agreement even after six days of deliberation.
Now, the jury foreman, who simply identified himself just by his first name, Earl, is giving more insight into what went down behind closed doors.
In a new episode of Chris Shelton's "Sensibly Speaking" podcast — which also featured Scientology reporter Tony Ortega — Earl explained the majority of jury members found there were several "inconsistencies" in the stories the accusers reported to the police and those they shared during their testimonies.
For example, Earl said Jane Doe #1 never mentioned a gun in her stories to the police and detective, but in court, she claimed Masterson had the weapon and waved it in the air. The differences in her tale made the jury question her "credibility."
Additionally, in one account, she claimed she woke up in a closet after the ordeal, but in another story, she recalled waking up in the That '70s Show alum's bed.
"Jurors were concerned — not that people could not remember exactly what happened — but if you tell two different stories of the same event, one has to be not true," Earl explained.
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Overall, Earl insisted the constant controversy surrounding the religion of Scientology didn't influence their votes. He also stated that the timing of the situation didn't play a factor in their decision. (The women all claimed their encounters with the actor occurred between 2001 and 2003.)
In the end, the jury's votes were as followed: for Jane Doe #1, two jurors voted guilty with 10 declaring not guilty; Jane Doe #2 saw four people voting guilty with the rest going the other way; for Jane Doe #3, five voted guilty while seven voted not guilty.
A new trial will take place in March 2023 with a revamped jury.