The second week of testimony at the Danny Masterson trial in Los Angeles had more surprises for us than we were expecting. And we’ve been glad you’ve been with us on this rather crazy ride.
The bizarre testimony of Scientologist Shaun Fabos got things going on Monday, but Jane Doe 3’s effective days on the stand, and the shocking picture she painted of Masterson, was the big story of the week.
And things ended on another bombshell Friday, with LAPD Detective Deborah Myers revealing that Jane Doe 1’s original case may have ended in 2004 not because the DA’s office didn’t think it was worthwhile, but simply because Myers had a vacation scheduled that she couldn’t change. Stunning. That was fresh in our mind as we left the courthouse yesterday and recorded our end-of-day video, which then went out to subscribers. We’re releasing the video below for everyone.
And once again, with the week done, we sat down with Jeffrey Augustine, who has also been in court with us, to go over some highlights of the last few days, which not only included Jane Doe 3’s revelations about Scientology, but also some strange courtroom behavior from an attorney who turned out to be tied to the Masterson defense.
Substack won’t let us embed the podcast here, but it went out on email this morning, and you can go to it directly with this link.
As always, we’re looking forward to seeing your thoughts on the trial as well. So please give us some of your thoughts about moments in testimony, or coverage of the case, or anything else that struck you this week.
Thank you for reading today’s story here at Substack. For the full picture of what’s happening today in the world of Scientology, please join the conversation at tonyortega.org, where we’ve been reporting daily on David Miscavige’s cabal since 2012. There you’ll find additional stories, and our popular regular daily features:
Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history
Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea
Overheard in the Freezone: Indie Hubbardism, one thought at a time
Past is Prologue: From this week in history at alt.religion.scientology
Random Howdy: Your daily dose of the Captain
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Question for the proprietor: Other than the commentary about Jurors #1 and #10 appearing to close their eyes at times, there hasn't been much in the way of the jury's reaction, if any; and I'm curious if they are keeping their poker faces at all times?
That 'vacation' thing really burns my big a s s. Cohen is screwed, blued and tattooed because the DA has lined up a seemingly perfect case. The witnesses have been excellent and the narrative of the story is now very clear. When Victim 2 testifies, I will be hearing nails being driven into the Masterson coffin.
Still, all Cohen has to do is cause enough doubt that at least one of the victims doesn't get a conviction on her charges. That would seem to be nearly impossible, given the way Victims 1 and 3 have testified.
Go Team Justice, go!