Danny Masterson rape retrial deliberations drag on over 6 days and will resume next week

LOS ANGELES– Jurors deliberated for more than a week without reaching a verdict in the retrial of ‘That ’70s Show’ star Danny Masterson’s rape, and will have to return and resume talks after the long holiday weekend.

The Los Angeles County jury of seven women and five men went home on Friday without reaching a verdict on any of the three counts of rape against the 47-year-old, who could face up to 45 years in prison. ‘he is found guilty of all three.

The jury won the case as closing arguments concluded on May 17. With time off scheduled, they spoke for a total of 6½ days and had relatively few questions for the judge. The jurors asked for the replay of certain testimony, including part of the cross-examination of Masterson’s former girlfriend, who is one of the three accusers. But the requests did little to shed light on the state of the deliberations.

Jurors will return to court Wednesday morning after taking the weekend, Memorial Day and another scheduled day off.

At the actor’s first trial, lengthy deliberations led to a mistrial in December, when jurors could not reach consensus on any point. A majority voted to acquit each. A new trial began in April.

Prosecutors allege Masterson drugged and raped the three women, including a longtime ex-girlfriend, at his Hollywood-area home between 2001 and 2003, when he was at the height of his fame for the Fox TV sitcom “That ’70s Show”.

Masterson pleaded not guilty. The defense said Masterson had consensual sex with the women and attempted to discredit their stories by pointing out the inconsistencies.