During the trial, the jury requested to review portions of testimony from one of the alleged victims, who was Masterson’s former longtime girlfriend. The panel re-watched a videotaped interview and examined transcripts from the interview between the woman and two Los Angeles Police Department detectives in January 2017.
This is the second trial for Masterson, as the first jury last year leaned towards acquittal but failed to reach a unanimous decision, resulting in a mistrial. Prosecutors decided to retry the case, and Masterson’s defense efforts to have the charges dismissed were rejected by the court.
Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller emphasized in his closing statements that Masterson drugged and raped each of the alleged victims, urging the jury to hold him accountable. Defense attorney Philip Kent Cohen questioned the credibility of the alleged victims and pointed out that they, like Masterson, were members of the Church of Scientology, suggesting possible retaliation from the church.
Throughout the trial, the defense highlighted the lack of forensic evidence supporting the prosecution’s claims of drugging and maintained that the alleged victims’ accounts had been influenced over the years. The Church of Scientology, to which Masterson and the alleged victims belonged, issued a statement denying any policy discouraging the reporting of criminal conduct.
Masterson, who has been free on bail since his arrest in 2020, was previously fired from the show “The Ranch” due to sexual assault allegations. A civil lawsuit has also been filed against Masterson and the Church of Scientology by the three women involved in the criminal case, as well as another woman, alleging stalking and harassment after reporting the sexual assault allegations to the police.
The jury’s deliberations will continue as they work towards a verdict in this high-profile case.
