Blogs

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday at the rape trial of “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson after jurors, who were leaning strongly toward acquitting him, deadlocked following the monthlong trial in which the Church of Scientology played a supporting role.

Prosecutors said Masterson raped 3 women, including a former girlfriend, in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 & 2003 & the church dissuaded them from going public for years. Masterson, 46, pleaded not guilty & his lawyer said the acts were all consensual.

“I find the jurors hopelessly deadlocked,” Judge Charlaine Olmedo declared after the jury foreman said there was nothing the court could do to move them closer to reaching a unanimous decision. She set a March date for a retrial in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Olmedo had ordered jurors to take Thanksgiving week off & keep deliberating after they said on Nov. 18 that they could not reach a consensus. A jury of 6 women & 6 men began deliberations anew Monday after alternates replaced 2 jurors who were diagnosed with COVID-19 over the break.

Jurors voted 7 times Tuesday & Wednesday without being able to reach consensus on any of the three counts, the foreman said. Two jurors voted for conviction on the first count, & voted for conviction on the second count & 5 voted to convict on the third count.

The result was a serious setback for prosecutors & for the 3 women who said they were seeking long overdue justice & provided emotional & graphic testimony over several days.

All 3 women were members of the church at the time, and Masterson remains one.

2 of the women & the husband of 1 are suing Masterson, the Church of Scientology, its leader David Miscavige & others for allegedly stalking, harassing & intimidating them after they sought to expose Masterson.

#dannymasterson #dannymastersonthat70sshow #dannymastersonrapetrial #churchofscientology #actor #that70sshow #BijouPhillips #williambaldwin #ChynnaPhillips #MackenziePhillips #rape #rapevictims #accusations #allegations #tophergrace #milakunis #ashtonkutcher #williamvaderrama #mistrial #hungjury #DavidMiscavige

Follow Me

Two Louisiana parents could be charged with murder after their disabled daughter was found "melted" into a couch.

The body of 36-year-old Lacey Fletcher was discovered at her home in the tiny quiet town of Slaughter back on January 3, in what can only be described as abhorrent circumstances.

Coroner Dr. Ewell Bickham estimated that the woman had been sat in the same place for years — to the point she had literally become fused to the furniture.

"I couldn't eat for a week & I cried for a week," Dr. Bickham said.

“When I first walked in the house, it smelled of feces, fecal material, however you want to put that politely, it stunk," he recalled. "And when I got to the body, the individual was basically sitting in a hole, filled with liquid stool & urine."

The victim, he said, was covered from head to toe in urine & liquid feces, with bed sores that went down to the bone & was crawling with insects. She weighed just 96lbs.

Fletcher reportedly suffered from locked-in syndrome, unable to move any muscles besides her eyes. Her parents were supposed to be her caretakers.

Bickham claimed she had been left to use the couch as a latrine, and she had eventually melted through the upholstery of the 1960′s-style sofa.

"It's the worst form of medical neglect I've ever seen. I don't know any other adjectives or adverbs to add to that," Bickham said, claiming she had been neglected for at least a decade.

"I've never seen anything like this, that literally turned my stomach as bad as it did," the coroner said. "It literally got me emotional, and I'm a strong person."

Her parents called 911 on January 3 when they noticed she'd stopped breathing; first responders entered the otherwise idyllic home to find the nightmarish scene:

After an autopsy, Jefferson Parish Forensic Center ruled the death a homicide.

Fletcher's parents have not been arrested or charged with any crime. But District Attorney Sam D'Aquilla has called on the grand jury to consider second-degree murder.

Other potential charges include manslaughter, cruelty to the infirmed, negligent homicide — or none at all.

#murder #homicide #inhumane #torture #disabled #lockedinsyndrome #disabledwomanmeltsintocouch #parents #mother #mom #motheranddaughter #dad #father #daughter #fatheranddaughter #daughtermeltsintocouch #stomachchurning #coroner #autopsy #abuse #cruelty #laceyfletcher #laceyfletcherlouisiana #riplaceyfletcher #restinpeacelaceyfletcher #districtattorney #grandjury #manslaughter #negligenthomicide #jeffersonparishla

Source: TooFab

Follow Me

Video After The Jump

Uncle Murda, Maino and Jay Watts have come together to visualize their frustration with crooked cops and the judicial system in the official music video for "Hands Up."

The song is a tribute to Eric Garner and Michael Brown. All proceeds are being donated to their families. Purchase it now from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/album/id915556970

Video directed by Picture Perfect. Produced by 12 Keyz and Reefa

Follow Uncle Murda, Maino Picture Perfect and Jay Watts on Twitter @unclemurda @dabigpicture, @MainoHustleHard @Jay_Watts

https://twitter.com/dabigpicture

https://twitter.com/unclemurda

https://twitter.com/mainohustlehard

Follow Me