Danny Masterson's rape accuser admits she told cops their 2002 sexual encounter was 'consensual' and then 'changed her view'
Warning: This article contains a recollection of sexual assault that can be triggering to some readers. Discretion advised.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: One of Danny Masterson's rape accusers admitted on the witness stand on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, that she changed her tale of what happened between her and the actor during the initial sexual encounter at his home in September 2002 over the course of 14 years, Daily Mail reported.
Jane Doe 1 the testifier said that she informed the officers that the sex they had the first time was consensual when she went to Hollywood police in 2004 to report Masterson for rape. But when the That '70s Show star's attorney Philip Cohen questioned her on Thursday, she conceded that she had "changed her position" when she spoke with Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller in 2018. In her testimony to the jury, she claimed that by the time of that interview, she had "changed her view" and now believe that her sex with Masterson in September 2002 was "not consensual."
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The alleged victim admitted that she considered the vaginal sex to be consensual but she did not consent to be penetrated anally. When the lawyer Philip Cohen questioned her about whether Masterson apologized to her after the anal contact, she informed the court that he did, "but much later." Masterson is not charged in relation to the incident from 2002, but he is accused of raping Jane Doe 1 the following year, Daily Mail reported.
Judge Charlaine Olmedo took issue with Cohen telling Jane Doe 1 that she was "taking a break from alcohol" prior to the September 2002 incident because of a bad experience. After dismissing the jury, the judge told Cohen, "Any witness's substance use, whether alcohol or drugs, is off limits. It's inappropriate character evidence and we're not going to go there." Cohen contended that asking Jane Doe 1 about her alcohol tolerance was "absolutely appropriate." He slammed the prosecution's 'inference' that Masterson had spiked the drinks of his alleged victims with "drugs, molly, or roofies," claiming that no evidence of such "nefarious" behavior existed. The woman, now 48, sobbed in the witness box as she told her heart-wrenching story, prompting Judge Olmedo to call a 10-minute break.
As reported earlier by MEAWW, Deputy District attorney Reinhold Mueller allegedly told the court that after the first encounter, nine months later, Doe came back to Masterson's house where he gave her a "fruity red drink with vodka," then grabbed her by the wrists and told her, "You are going into the Jacuzzi." Mueller described by saying, "She tried to pull back saying no, no, that she didn't want to go into the Jacuzzi. All the time she's feeling impaired - she doesn't have the strength she normally would."
Mueller narrated, "After a shower and passing out again, Masterson picked her up, carried her to the bed, and, with all his body weight on her, penetrated her vagina with his penis. She fought back and pushed a pillow into his face. But he pushed it back into her face, smothering her and she passed out." He then allegedly opened a bedside drawer and pulled out a gun threatening Doe, "Don't f*****g move. Don't f*****g move. You're not going to f*****g tell Marie. You’re not going to f*****g tell Paige. You're not going to f*****g tell Lisa," according to the Daily Mail. Doe clarified that Masterson was referring to Lisa Marie Presley and Paige, two of her Scientologist friends.
When the jury asked Doe 1 why it took so long to report Masterson, she told if she had reported another Scientologist, she would be guilty of a high crime in Scientology doctrine. She added that doing so would result in being labeled a "suppressive person" and "permanent expulsion" from the church. She said, "My life would be over. My parents (both Scientologists) would have to disconnect with me. My daughter, (who was seven or eight at the time) would have to come out of school. I would have nowhere to go. And if my parents did stay in contact with me, they would be declared suppressive."
The victim reportedly flew to Florida with her family for a vacation the day after the alleged incident at Masterson's house on April 25, 2003, and during cross-examination from defense attorney Philip Cohen, she admitted that while she "didn't really remember" the previous night, but on the flight, she kept having "flashes" or "flash memories" of what happened. Doe admitted to Cohen that she had a flash memory of Masterson having sex with her against her will and being silent and physical with her.
As per Daily Mail report, despite these responses, Doe 1 stated that when she called Masterson while still in Florida, she told him she didn't remember and when she asked him, "What happened?" he replied, "We had a good time." When Masterson told her they had sex that night, she sobbed in the witness box, crying, saying, "No, no, you're lying. It's not true."
Masterson, 46, has been out on $3.3 million bail since his arrest in June 2020 and has entered a not-guilty plea to three counts of rape that occurred between 2001 and 2003 at his Hollywood Hills home. He would be sentenced to 45 years to life in prison if found guilty at the conclusion of his trial, which will feature former Scientologist Presley as a witness.