What it was like watching Danny Masterson get handcuffed in Judge Olmedo’s court
Hey, gang. That was quite a day yesterday for your proprietor, and we have to admit we’re still just sort of recovering from it.
After we watched Danny Masterson get handcuffed by a deputy (who happened to be a woman) and then led away after being convicted on two counts of forcible rape (which carries a penalty of 30 years to life in prison), we went outside the courtroom and made our immediate reaction video.
A couple of people remarked that they were surprised we didn’t crack a smile during that video. But we were thinking about what these women have been put through, the three Jane Doe victims in the case, as well as the two other accusers who testified in the two trials, and also the other victims that we know about. It’s been such an ordeal for them, and so we weren’t in a smiling mood.
We then drove back to where we are staying in Burbank and immediately got onto a live video with Chris Shelton, who has been so supportive and helpful through this case. His insights as a former Sea Org official really are invaluable.
We know you’ve seen a tsunami of coverage of this case now, with outlets jumping on the news and a whole new audience of people looking to understand what happened. We’re just glad that the Underground Bunker audience has been with us throughout this six-year odyssey, and that they understand the intricacies of this case.
We know you have a lot of questions about what is going to be happening next for Masterson, for the discovery leak, for the sentencing, and we’ll be getting around to those things soon. But for now, we just wanted to make sure you got a chance to see our discussion with Chris, and to look over some highlights of where our coverage has taken us since 2017.
March 3, 2017: LAPD probing Scientology and Danny Masterson for multiple rapes, cover-up
May 9, 2017: Masterson hires Michael Jackson criminal defense attorney Tom Mesereau in rape probe
Feb 14, 2018: PROSECUTORS PREPARE CHARGES CARRYING LIFE SENTENCE FOR DANNY MASTERSON
Aug 14, 2019: RAPE ACCUSERS SUE DANNY MASTERSON, CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY, AND ITS LEADER
June 17, 2020: SCIENTOLOGY CELEB DANNY MASTERSON CHARGED ON MULTIPLE RAPE ALLEGATIONS
June 23: 2020: The key thing about Danny Masterson’s ‘DJ Donkey Punch’ nick is why he stopped using it
May 1, 2021: IN HER OWN WORDS: Danny Masterson accuser rips LAPD miscues in 2017 letter
June 5, 2021: Was David Miscavige behind Tom Mesereau’s biggest blunder at Danny Masterson’s prelim?
March 6, 2022: Never before published: Jane Doe 1’s plea to Scientology to report rape by Danny Masterson
Oct 5, 2022: Prosecution plans to call Lisa Marie Presley as witness at Danny Masterson rape trial
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Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history
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Tony, watching and interacting with you, I’ve learned so much about what a real investigative journalist does. I’m very grateful that you have been on the case through thick and thin. Thank you.
I can never thank you enough for your years of shining a bright light on the insanity, injustice and true looney tunes of Scientology. Your investigative journalistic style is in a class by itself. You are our Bull Dog.