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Actor Danny Masterson remained unmoved as his two rape victims gave powerful impact statements to a judge before the That ‘70s Show star was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the attacks. “When you raped me, you stole from me,” said one woman who Masterson, 47, was convicted of raping in 2003. “That’s what rape is, a theft of the spirit.” “You are pathetic, disturbed and completely violent,” she added. “The world is better off with you in prison.” The other victim told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo that the actor “has not shown an ounce of remorse for the pain he caused.” “I knew he belonged behind bars for the safety of all the women he came into contact with. I am so sorry, and I’m so upset. I wish I’d reported him sooner to the police,” she told the court. Masterson, who has been in custody since May, showed no visible reaction to the statements as he sat in court, reported The Associated Press. Masterson was found guilty by a jury of two counts of rape on 31 May after seven days of deliberations. The court was told that both attacks took place at Masterson’s home in the Hollywood area of the city in 2003 when he was a member of the cast of the hit Fox sitcom. Masterson did not testify, and his defence team called no witnesses, arguing that the acts were consensual. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson had raped a longtime girlfriend. A mistrial was declared in Masterson’s first trial in December 2022 after a jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of forcible rape. “Mr Masterson, I know that you’re sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you,” Judge Olmedo told Masterson before handing down the sentence. “But Mr Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s voice, and choice. One way or another you will have to come to terms with your prior actions, and their consequences.” The Associated Press contributed to this report. Read More ‘That ’70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rapes Danny Masterson sentencing - live: ‘That 70s Show’ actor given 30 years to life in prison for raping two women Danny Masterson’s wife breaks down at rape sentencing: Who is Bijou Phillips?

Hurricane Lee was showing signs Thursday morning that it would rapidly intensify again, days before a precarious and uncertain northward track that much of the US East Coast will have to watch closely.

“That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson could get as much as 30 years to life in prison at his sentencing Thursday for the rapes of two women two decades ago. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo is set to sentence the 47-year-old actor after ruling on a defense motion for a new trial that she’s very likely to reject, and after hearing impact statements from the victims. A jury of seven women and five men found Masterson guilty of two counts on May 31 after seven days of deliberations. Both attacks took place in Masterson’s Hollywood-area home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom “That ’70s Show.” The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend. The verdict came in a second trial after a jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of forcible rape in December and a mistrial was declared. Prosecutors alleged that Masterson used his prominence in the Church of Scientology — where all three women were also members at the time — to avoid consequences for decades after the attacks. The women blamed the church for their hesitancy in going to police about Masterson. They testified that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they were not raped, were put through ethics programs themselves, and were warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing. “They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against,” Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told jurors at the trial. “Scientology told them there’s no justice for them.” The church said in a statement after the verdict that the “testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs” during the trial were “uniformly false.” “The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone — Scientologists or not — to law enforcement,” the statement said. Masterson did not testify, and his lawyers called no witnesses. The defense argued that the acts were consensual, and attempted to discredit the women’s stories by highlighting changes and inconsistencies over time, which they said showed signs of coordination between them. The women whose testimony led to Masterson’s conviction said that in 2003, he gave them drinks and that they then became woozy or passed out before he violently raped them. Olmedo allowed prosecutors and accusers to say directly in the second trial that Masterson drugged the women, while only allowing the women to describe their condition in the first. Masterson was not charged with any counts of drugging, and there was no toxicology evidence to back up the assertion. The issue could be a factor in a planned appeal from the defense of Masterson’s conviction. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they’ve been sexually abused. Masterson starred with Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace in “That ’70s Show” from 1998 until 2006. He had reunited with Kutcher on the 2016 Netflix comedy “The Ranch,” but was written off the show when an LAPD investigation was revealed the following year. While that investigation began before a wave of women shook Hollywood with stories about Harvey Weinstein in October 2017, the conviction and sentencing of Masterson still represents a major #MeToo era success for Los Angeles prosecutors, along with the conviction of Weinstein himself last year.

The manhunt for convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante has now entered its eighth day with details beginning to emerge about how he managed to escape from prison in Pennsylvania. Cavalcante, 34, escaped from Chester County Prison days after he was sentenced to life without parole for stabbing his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao, 31, to death in front of her two small children. He is also wanted for a 2017 murder in Brazil. Authorities said during a press conference on Wednesday that he broke out by climbing onto a prison building roof from one of the exercise yards. Newly released surveillance video shows Cavalcante crawling up a wall at the prison before he disappears from the frame. Police said that he later managed to jump down to an area of the prison that had less surveillance. A tower officer tasked with observing the site failed to report the incident and Cavalcante’s escape was only noticed later during a head count. He was last spotted near Chandler Road, Pennsbury Township, on Tuesday evening. Local and federal law enforcement searched the area for hours but did not locate the fugitive. Members of the public are urged to secure their homes from the dangerous killer. Read More Danelo Cavalcante’s escape from Pennsylvania prison captured in newly released video How did Danelo Cavalcante manage to slip past Pennsylvania authorities twice? Father reveals terrifying moment escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante broke into his home Danelo Cavalcante killed his girlfriend in front of her children. Now he’s on the run after a prison break

The decision follows pressure from regional bloc Eccas and neighbouring countries.

Group of 20 nations agreed to grant the African Union permanent membership status, according to people familiar with

Raymond Ackerman, who built Pick n Pay Stores Ltd. up from scratch into one of South Africa’s biggest

A 24-year-old man died at an Atlanta hospital after being found unresponsive at a jail that is already being investigated by federal authorities for potential civil rights violations. A Fulton County Jail officer found Shawndre Delmore during a routine check just before 8.30pm on 31 August, the county sheriff's office said in a news release Wednesday. Jail staff attempted to revive Delmore until medical staff arrived, and he was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died on 3 September, the release says. Delmore is the sixth person to die in Fulton County custody since the end of July. He was arrested on 1 April by Atlanta police and was being held on $2,500 bond on a second-degree burglary charge. Atlanta police will investigate his death, and the county medical examiner will do an autopsy, the sheriff's office said. The US Department of Justice in July opened a civil rights investigation into jail conditions in the county, citing violence, filthy conditions and the death last year of a man whose body was found covered in insects. Lashawn Thompson, 35, died last September in a bedbug-infested cell in the Fulton County Jail’s psychiatric wing. An independent autopsy done at his family’s request found he died from severe neglect. His family has since reached a settlement with the county. Dayvion Blake, 23, was stabbed to death and four others were stabbed an injured during a fight at the jail on 31 August. Samuel Lawrence, 34, died Saturday at Grady Memorial Hospital after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the jail. The other three people who died in the last month include 66-year-old Alexander Hawkins, 34-year-old Christopher Smith and 40-year-old Montay Stinson. Read More Georgia prosecutors predict four-month trial and 150 witnesses for Trump’s election interference case Inside the notorious Fulton County Jail where Trump and 18 allies were booked over Georgia election plot Wisconsin Republicans want to impeach a liberal state Supreme Court justice before she has even heard a case

It is still too early to determine whether the Atlantic storm might make landfall in the US.

Six months after former attorney Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murder, the Lifetime Network announced a new movie about the once prominent South Carolina dynasty that came crashing down following a fatal boating accident, a slew of financial crimes and the brutal slayings of his wife and son. Lifetime’s 500th original movie Murdaugh Murders: The Movie is set to air in a two-night event next month and stepping into the role of the convicted killer is 69-year-old actor Bill Pullman. First-look images from the movie obtained by Entertainment Weekly - and posted to social media by Lifetime - show a chilling Pullman, his reddish-blonde slicked back, violently grabbing actor Curtis Tweedie, who is portraying his slain son Paul Murdaugh. Lauren Robek plays his wife Maggie. Another eerie image shows Pullman decked out in a black tux and red bowtie, similar to what Murdaugh was pictured wearing in one of the well-known photos of the family prior to the June 2021 killings. The images from the Lifetime movie also show Mr Pullman as Murdaugh speaking at a press conference and later being led away in tan jail scrubs and handcuffs. The two-part film chronicles the series of events that led to Murdaugh to kill his 52-year-old wife Maggie Murdaugh and his younger son 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh, at the family’s hunting property on 7 June 2021. Murdaugh was found guilty in March 2023 and is now serving two life sentences. “Even with all of Alex’s influence, he couldn’t prevent the Murdaugh Family’s legacy from being tarnished after Paul was involved in a boating accident that left a young girl dead,” according to a Lifetime Network release. “While Maggie was consumed with what was happening with Paul, Alex was hiding his addiction to opioids and stealing insurance settlements from his own clients to fund his habit and the family’s lavish lifestyle. Then in June 2021, Maggie and Paul were found murdered, and eyes began to turn to Alex.” The timely announcement of the film comes just a day after Murdaugh’s defence attorneys filed a motion requesting a new trial on the grounds that the Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill tampered with the jury because she was driven by fame and a desire to secure a book deal. The bombshell allegations come one week after the convicted killer lost some of his inmate privileges after he fed information to Fox Nation documentary “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh” without permission from prison officials. In the documentary, his only surviving son Buster broke his silence as he insisted that he still believes his father is innocent but admitted that he may be a psychopath. Murdaugh Murders: The Movie will air at 8pm on 14 October and 15 October on Lifetime. A second season of Netflix’s docuseries Murdaugh Murders:: A Southern Scandal will drop on 22 September. Read More Alex Murdaugh juror back in spotlight as killer accuses clerk of court of tampering in trial – latest An Alex Murdaugh juror gained infamy over a dozen eggs. Now she’s at the heart of his bid for a new trial Court clerk’s co-author responds to Alex Murdaugh’s claims of jury tampering as she lawyers up

Miami football is running a buy one, get one free ticket deal in order to entice fans to come out against Texas A&M. How sad does this make a once mighty Miami program look?

(Reuters) -American Eagle Outfitters raised its annual revenue forecast on Wednesday, betting on steady demand for its wide-legged pants, tops