Danny Masterson trial: Who is Jen B? Woman testifies she awoke to find actor raping her after he spiked drink
Warning:This article contains information about sexual assault and/or violence that may be triggering to survivors
During a preliminary hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court for "That '70s Show" actor Danny Masterson, who is accused of raping three women, a woman told a judge that she was 'slipping in and out of consciousness' on a night 18 years ago when she had found the actor raping her.
She appeared at a preliminary hearing on May 18, where a judge is determining if there is sufficient evidence to order a trial for the actor from 'That '70s Show' after former members of the Church of Scientology, to which the actor is said to be devoted, came forward with accusations against the star.
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‘That '70s Show’ star Danny Masterson charged with raping 3 women, faces up to 45 years in prison
DAY ONE FULL REPORT: Brutal testimony by Danny Masterson accuser Jane Doe 1, and the cross examination by Tom Mesereau, with lots of #Scientology crazy thrown in. All the details you won't get anywhere else!https://t.co/15grd4oOw2 pic.twitter.com/SCGNzXVSxr
— Tony Ortega (@TonyOrtega94) May 19, 2021
Who is Jen B?
Jen B is one of Masterson's alleged victims. 'Jen B' is not her real name, she used it to appear in court discreetly. "When I came to, he was on top of me,” she said.“The first thing I recall is grabbing his hair to pull him off.” Jen B testified that she and Masterson were friends in the late 1990s and early 2000s and were affiliated with the Church of Scientology and that on April 25, 2003, she went to Masterson's house to pick up a set of keys and got trapped there.
She said Masterson had given her a drink with vodka in it at her order — her first of the night — but that 20 minutes later she was "blurry," tired, and queasy, and that she had little ability to resist as Masterson tossed her in his jacuzzi. She said she couldn't even sit up afterward. Luke Watson, a mutual acquaintance, offered assistance.
'I couldn’t walk or stand'
“I couldn’t walk or stand, so he put me on the tile on the ground,” she said as she cried but remained her composure throughout her testimony. “I said, ‘Luke I can’t see,’ and he said, ‘Open your eyes,’ and I didn’t know my eyes were closed. I couldn’t open my eyelids. I felt really, really sick.”
Masterson took her upstairs where she vomited and then put her in his tub, she testified. She said she started to lose consciousness. But, when she awoke, Masterson was soaping her bare breasts. She said she attempted a face punch but was too frail and just landed gently on his stomach.
He pulled out a gun
She testified that he laid her on the bed and raped her and that she only remembers the minutes afterward in flashbacks. She said that after pulling Masterson's hair didn't work, she pressed a pillow in his face, but he pushed it back on her. She said he pulled a gun out of his nightstand drawer to threaten her.
Jen B was also questioned by Masterson's lawyer, Thomas Mesereau, about discrepancies between her 2004 police report and a 2003 "intelligence report" she completed about the incident for the church, which was attempting to mediate between her and Masterson. She admitted that there were gaps, but said that she made every effort to be honest. She testified that in the following days, bruises emerged on her wrists and neck area and that she had great pain in her genitalia.
Labeled 'suppressive'
She said that the Church of Scientology, of which her parents and all of her friends were members, strongly advised her against going to the police, claiming that if she reported a member in good standing like Masterson, she would be labeled a "suppressive person." “I would lose my family and everyone I knew,” she said, though in June 2004 she went to the police anyway.
Jen B admitted in her testimony on TMay 18 that prosecutors told her in 2004 that her case had been dismissed in part due to the fact that there were so many witnesses against her. She is scheduled to take the stand again on Wednesday, May 19, for a four-day trial.
Masterson has denied the charges and his lawyer Mesereau said at a previous hearing that he "is absolutely not guilty and we're going to prove it." The That '70s Show actor was charged with three counts of rape by force or fear, to which he pleaded not guilty in January, in a Los Angeles County court. The 45-year-old has been free on a $3.3 million bail since being arrested in June 2020. He made his first court appearance in September of the same year.