Danny Masterson reportedly denied bail by judge
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Danny Masterson has been denied bail pending appeal.
According to a report by Deadline, Judge Charlaine Olmedo wrote in an order on Wednesday that the convicted rapist and former That '70s Show actor “has every incentive to flee and little reason to return to state prison to serve out the remainder of his lengthy sentence should his appeal be unsuccessful.” The judge suggested that Masterson’s pending divorce from Bijou Phillips may be a reason the actor may be considered a flight risk, citing “the fact that defendant has no wife to go home to” as rationale.
Reps for Masterson did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.
Masterson was charged with raping three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003 when he was initially arrested in June 2020. He was released after pleading not guilty and posting bond on his $3.3 million bail. One set of proceedings ended in a mistrial in 2022, but last May, Masterson was convicted on two out of three counts of rape in a retrial.
Masterson is now serving a 30-year to life sentence and will be eligible for parole in 20 years. The actor’s attorneys, Clifford Gardner and Eric Multhaup, had argued in favor of bail, citing “extensive exculpatory evidence that was not presented to the jury.” Deadline reports that that evidence is sealed and connected to statements about Masterson taken by the LAPD.
The lawyers’ appeal said that Masterson “offers to comply with any relevant terms and conditions imposed by the Court that enable him to be an at-home parent and financial provider for his family, including house arrest and/or participation in an electronic monitoring program administered by the probation department.”
Phillips filed for divorce days after Masterson’s sentencing, and Deadline reports that the couple’s nine-year-old daughter was “placed entirely in Phillips’ custody.”
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