A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday after jurors said they were hopelessly deadlocked at the trial ofLos Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo had ordered the jurors to take Thanksgiving week off and keep deliberating after they told her on Nov. 18 that they could not come to a consensus about the rape allegations after a month-long trial in which the Church of Scientology played a supporting role.
Jurors said they had voted seven times Tuesday and Wednesday without being able to reach consensus on any of the three counts. The result was a serious setback for prosecutors, and for the three women who said they were seeking long overdue justice. The women, all referred to as Jane Does and all former members of the church, said they were intimidated, harassed and stalked after Masterson was charged. They have repeated those allegations in a pending lawsuit against the church.
Masterson did not testify. His lawyer presented no defence testimony and instead focused on inconsistencies in the accounts of the three accusers, who he said changed their stories over time and spoke with each other before going to police. Two women said they were served drinks by Masterson and became woozy or passed out before being violently raped. One said she thought she would die as Masterson held a pillow over her face.
Source: Entertainment Trends (entertainmenttrends.net)
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