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Anonymous wrote:Don’t know if this has been said yet, but it’s crazy to put someone away for 30 years without hard evidence.

There is no legal category of "hard evidence" which shows your lack of knowledge of the legal system and this case. In this particular case, the victims gave direct testimony under oath and subject to cross examination by the defendant's counsel. That is evidence. It is up to the jury to decide whether or not that testimonial evidence is reliable and truthful (which this jury found it to be) and up to cross examination to discredit (which this jury did not find). Masterson also waived his right to testify and exercised his right to remain silent. Hence he deliberately gave up his right to give his own testimony and allowed the only first hand account to be those of the accusers. This is not insignificant, it is a huge gamble and typically is not looked favorably on by juries as they want to hear both sides. Masterson did not provide his testimony, that was his decision.

Two of the victims also individually told third parties (friends) of these events after they happened. One even filed a police report in 2004. These facts were all permitted to be admissible as evidence.

If you are suggesting that "hard evidence" is only DNA to satisfy your personal comfort level, then you have zero knowledge of criminal court. And you should know that the overwhelming majority of sexual assault cases do not have any DNA.

DP but what does knowledge of criminal court or our legal system have to do with forming an opinion that it’s crazy to lock someone up for 30 years without hard evidence?

The point is that there actually is a ton of evidence in this case, including evidence from the police report filed back when one of the rapes happened. The evidence presented in this case was very strong, better than like 99% of rape cases, because there were multiple victims whose stories corroborated each other, the victims told others about what had happened within days of the rapes occurring (including one filing a police report), and the victim's stories remained consistent for the nearly 20 years since this all happened. That's "hard evidence" in the colloquial sense of the word. Very few cases of any kind of have DNA evidence because it is hard to collect, sometimes hard to test, and often inconclusive. Corroborated eye-witness testimony is actually some of the best possible evidence you can have as a prosecutor.

Your opinion is based on a misunderstanding of how criminal justice works.

No, my opinion is based on the fact that *I think* it’s crazy to lock someone up for 30 years without evidence beyond a bunch of people saying “he did it!”

I accept your explanation that this is how the system works… so I think the system is crazy!

It says the reports were made in 2017 with an investigation that followed and it seems the women went together as a group but the rapes occurred in 2000 and 2003.

Guys can we NOT? Can we please not deal with rape rationalization?

The women REPORTED THE ASSAULTS to “church” higher-ups when they happened, and they told loved ones they happened, and at least one police report was made.

I wish the women minimizing this like uhhhh it’s a she said were the ones drugged, anally raped, woke up bleeding, and then got stalked and had their pets killed. That’s what happened to some of his victims. You deserve it if you hide behind the internet to make it seem like less of a big deal.

Last comment on this - thinking the sentencing was harsh (in general, as well as given the evidence and time) is NOT rationalizing rape or making it seem like less of a big deal. It is merely saying, holy shit that seems like a crazy harsh sentence!

Similar to how some people are opposed to the death penalty. If it was someone you loved who had been horribly murdered how would you feel about a bunch of bleeding heart murder rationalization types demanding mercy for the killer because they think the death penalty is too harsh, or morally wrong, or dare I say crazy?

That’s all that’s going on here, a difference of opinion as to the appropriateness of the sentence.

Masterson is a SERIAL rapist, and 15 years to life is an appropriate sentence for violent rape. He’s serving 30 before eligibility for parole because he’s been convicted on two separate charges and the judge, after hearing the full context of what the victims were put through during and after the rapes, chose to exercise her judicial discretion to impose the sentences consecutively instead of concurrently.

Anyone who thinks this sentence is inappropriate should probably be violently raped and then systematically harassed for years - that will help them to reconsider the foolishness of their position. Or maybe it should be their daughter who is subject to violent rape and systematic harassment. Then get back to us with thoughts on the appropriate sentence for the poor lad who did it.

I saw news articles saying that in CA people convicted of sex offenses have to serve 85% of their sentences before being eligible for parole. So that means he won't get his first parole hearing for 25.5 years. He'll be 72 if he gets out at his first hearing and that rarely happens though with a geriatric it may very well occur to save the state money. He doesn't have a life to live on the other side of this. A serial rapist deserves no less. He could have easily had all the women he could have ever wanted but instead he drugged and rapped women. You know it's some sort of power fetish and it's a good thing he's going to spend (essentially) the rest of his life in prison.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Don’t know if this has been said yet, but it’s crazy to put someone away for 30 years without hard evidence.

There is no legal category of "hard evidence" which shows your lack of knowledge of the legal system and this case. In this particular case, the victims gave direct testimony under oath and subject to cross examination by the defendant's counsel. That is evidence. It is up to the jury to decide whether or not that testimonial evidence is reliable and truthful (which this jury found it to be) and up to cross examination to discredit (which this jury did not find). Masterson also waived his right to testify and exercised his right to remain silent. Hence he deliberately gave up his right to give his own testimony and allowed the only first hand account to be those of the accusers. This is not insignificant, it is a huge gamble and typically is not looked favorably on by juries as they want to hear both sides. Masterson did not provide his testimony, that was his decision.

Two of the victims also individually told third parties (friends) of these events after they happened. One even filed a police report in 2004. These facts were all permitted to be admissible as evidence.

If you are suggesting that "hard evidence" is only DNA to satisfy your personal comfort level, then you have zero knowledge of criminal court. And you should know that the overwhelming majority of sexual assault cases do not have any DNA.

DP but what does knowledge of criminal court or our legal system have to do with forming an opinion that it’s crazy to lock someone up for 30 years without hard evidence?

The point is that there actually is a ton of evidence in this case, including evidence from the police report filed back when one of the rapes happened. The evidence presented in this case was very strong, better than like 99% of rape cases, because there were multiple victims whose stories corroborated each other, the victims told others about what had happened within days of the rapes occurring (including one filing a police report), and the victim's stories remained consistent for the nearly 20 years since this all happened. That's "hard evidence" in the colloquial sense of the word. Very few cases of any kind of have DNA evidence because it is hard to collect, sometimes hard to test, and often inconclusive. Corroborated eye-witness testimony is actually some of the best possible evidence you can have as a prosecutor.

Your opinion is based on a misunderstanding of how criminal justice works.

No, my opinion is based on the fact that *I think* it’s crazy to lock someone up for 30 years without evidence beyond a bunch of people saying “he did it!”

I accept your explanation that this is how the system works… so I think the system is crazy!

It says the reports were made in 2017 with an investigation that followed and it seems the women went together as a group but the rapes occurred in 2000 and 2003.

Guys can we NOT? Can we please not deal with rape rationalization?

The women REPORTED THE ASSAULTS to “church” higher-ups when they happened, and they told loved ones they happened, and at least one police report was made.

I wish the women minimizing this like uhhhh it’s a she said were the ones drugged, anally raped, woke up bleeding, and then got stalked and had their pets killed. That’s what happened to some of his victims. You deserve it if you hide behind the internet to make it seem like less of a big deal.

Last comment on this - thinking the sentencing was harsh (in general, as well as given the evidence and time) is NOT rationalizing rape or making it seem like less of a big deal. It is merely saying, holy shit that seems like a crazy harsh sentence!

Similar to how some people are opposed to the death penalty. If it was someone you loved who had been horribly murdered how would you feel about a bunch of bleeding heart murder rationalization types demanding mercy for the killer because they think the death penalty is too harsh, or morally wrong, or dare I say crazy?

That’s all that’s going on here, a difference of opinion as to the appropriateness of the sentence.

Masterson is a SERIAL rapist, and 15 years to life is an appropriate sentence for violent rape. He’s serving 30 before eligibility for parole because he’s been convicted on two separate charges and the judge, after hearing the full context of what the victims were put through during and after the rapes, chose to exercise her judicial discretion to impose the sentences consecutively instead of concurrently.

Anyone who thinks this sentence is inappropriate should probably be violently raped and then systematically harassed for years - that will help them to reconsider the foolishness of their position. Or maybe it should be their daughter who is subject to violent rape and systematic harassment. Then get back to us with thoughts on the appropriate sentence for the poor lad who did it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think very few people here are arguing that masterson isn’t a disgusting monster.

But I do have some empathy for the people in his life who presumably didn’t know this. I have empathy for anyone who has to come to terms with the fact that their family member/friend is a violent criminal. As much empathy as I for the victims? No. But I also wouldn’t go on some crusade to crucify his loved ones whose worlds have also been very negatively impacted by his actions, albeit differently than his victims.

Yeah, I agree. Some people are defending Mila and Ashton’s right to write a letter, and some are saying the sentence seems harsh. For some reason people are equating that with victim-blaming.

Anonymous wrote:I think very few people here are arguing that masterson isn’t a disgusting monster.

But I do have some empathy for the people in his life who presumably didn’t know this. I have empathy for anyone who has to come to terms with the fact that their family member/friend is a violent criminal. As much empathy as I for the victims? No. But I also wouldn’t go on some crusade to crucify his loved ones whose worlds have also been very negatively impacted by his actions, albeit differently than his victims.

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Anonymous wrote:It's well documented that Danny Masterson is a severe alcoholic.. needs it to wake up, to function, and to go to sleep. So yes, not surprising he needed to go to the detox before regular jail.

But it’s so great that he never uses drugs!!! He just almost kills himself drinking and only gives drugs to the women who he rapes!!! /s

Anonymous wrote:It's well documented that Danny Masterson is a severe alcoholic.. needs it to wake up, to function, and to go to sleep. So yes, not surprising he needed to go to the detox before regular jail.

Anonymous wrote:The poster talking about how Danny Masterson "only rapes Scientologists" so is not a threat to others (I mean, just the disgustingness of that statement, but anyway) so the sentence is too harsh... You are missing the whole point.

A scientologist cannot turn another scientologist -- especially a celebrity-- into the police. They must go to the church authorities otherwise they will be excommunicated. Danny knew this. That's why scientologists were his target. It was purposeful. Do you understand that?

I recently saw an interview with his ex-step-dad where the guy- who used to be a fixer for Scientology- basically said, Danny was a little mischievous but not some horrible kid. But when you do something a little wrong, and you get bailed out (by the Church because you are a celeb), you start to see what else you can get away with. And it builds from there.

If you don't understand the nuances and haven't been following this case, please don't come here just to justify sexual assault and call victims liars and say they had it coming. You look moronic.

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Anonymous wrote:Are Ashton and Mila in Scientology?

I can see pressures on them via Scientology if they are. That video was odd. The tone and script was just off for an apology video or even an explanation video.

They’ve never announced it publicly. However, Masterson was very involved in Scientology and as they emphasize in their letters, they worked together and were friends for many years. Given that information and the fact they even wrote these letters, it is very likely that Masterson tried to bring one or both of them to the Scientology celebrity centers. It’s well known that they keep tapes of sessions and who knows what Ashton and or Mila divulged. They would have both been very young and naive.

Whatever Scientology has on them must be really bad for them to become rape apologists.

You guys are reading into this. I grew up in a wealthy circle and a few of my friends parents were prosecuted for white collar crimes. Friends and clergy of their religious institutions certainly wrote letters. The rapes happened more than 20 years ago. Danny should’ve been prosecuted then, but he wasn’t, and in that time, he led another life where he was a friend, husband and father. Doesn’t make him less of a monster, but they are writing letters of their account of him over the last 20 years.

Imagine a Nazi being tried for war crimes decades after the fact. They may have run a gas chamber in the war, but gone on to be typical people after that. They should get prison (and worse), but it doesn’t change who they were to the people in their lives who knew them as entirely different people in the aftermath.

Ummm if I found out my neighbor was a former Nazi who murdered tons of people, there’s no way in hell I would write him a letter of support.

Do you have no soul?

Or maybe are you high on meth?

+1 Good lord who are these "OK, so you gassed a bunch of people as part of a fascist genocide plot but NBD" Nazi apologists???

wait you're making the nazi comparison to suggest that in both cases we should be forgiving - not that in both cases they are monsters who deserve every punishment, even if later they were friendly with folks at the country club?!

Anonymous wrote:Just read one of the victim impact statements. Danny apparently paid a boy to tell the victim’s 7 year old that her mom was lying about being raped. Which the victim discovered when her daughter asked her “what does rape mean?” Now this POS’ supporters wants to try and say he doesn’t deserve 30 years because he’s a dad?