Danny Masterson accuser says she was ‘hacked by Scientology’
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LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Actor and celebrity Scientologist Danny Masterson is on trial, accused of raping three women more than 20 years ago – but every day in court, jurors are hearing more and more about Scientology.
Masterson was born into the Church and his three accusers were all Scientologists at the time of the alleged rapes between 2001 and 2003. Masterson has pleaded not guilty, and his first trial ended with a hung jury.
The judge is allowing more evidence related to Scientology in this retrial in part because Masterson’s defense argued at the first trial “that the charged incidents never occurred and that the victims are lying.”
One of his accusers, who gave Eyewitness News permission to use her photos and first name, broke down on the witness stand Thursday after she told the jury she believes she was hacked by Scientology “almost immediately” after she first went to police six years ago.
Chrissie B. told jurors that her phone was tapped and she began to get odd and terrifying messages.
“I got a message from some account “Operating Thetans” saying, ‘We have a list of your crimes and we’re going to expose you,'” Chrissie recounted for the jury.
She said someone also sent her a photo posted online of a woman’s bottom with her contact information on it, saying that she wanted anal sex.
The Church of Scientology has denied the allegations saying, “There is zero truth to any of the testimony that the Church has harassed or stalked the Jane Does.”
Chrissie testified that she’s given documentation of the harassment to the Los Angeles Police Department over the years but told jurors she believes the LAPD’s Hollywood Station has been compromised by Scientology.
“The Hollywood Division, they have Scientology kiosks in their waiting room, and they take money from Scientology,” Chrissie told the jury.
She then brought up former LAPD Hollywood Captain Cory Palka, who is now the focus of a corruption investigation after he allegedly leaked confidential information about a sexual assault victim to CBS and its then President Les Moonves.
“Something is going on there,” Chrissie told jurors.
Chrissie B. wrote two letters to former LAPD Chief Charlie Beck in 2017, outlining her concerns about the detective who was then handling her case. The LAPD then assigned a new detective.
During cross-examination Thursday, Masterson’s defense attorney Shawn Holley played a video clip of the very first interview Chrissie did with the LAPD back in 2017 and tried to point out discrepancies, like did she wake up to him raping her? Or was she already awake? Why didn’t she tell these detectives that he pinned her arms above her head?
Chrissie said she was nervous – it was the first time she’d spoken to police. She said she answered their questions but did not volunteer extra information.
Also on the witness stand Thursday was a forensic psychiatrist who specializes in sexual assault. Dr. Barbra Ziv told the jury about how date rape drugs can affect memory and explained five myths about rape.
“One of the most common myths is that sexual assault is perpetrated by a stranger,” Ziv told Eyewitness News after court. “85% of all sexual assault is perpetrated by someone who is known to the victim.”
Prosecutors put Ziv on the witness stand to help explain some of the behavior by the women after their alleged rapes, including staying in contact with Masterson.
“One of the hardest things to understand – which is a rape myth – is that individuals who are sexually assaulted by a known perpetrator almost always have subsequent contact with the perpetrator,” said Ziv.
Content retrieved from: https://abc7.com/danny-masterson-trial-updates-rape-accusations-chrissie-b-church-of-scientology/13191715/.
