As they made clear in court today, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office disagreed with that and asked for 30 years to life for Masterson. Masterson did not commit the crimes for which he has been convicted, and we, and the appellate lawyers, the best and the brightest in the country, are confident that these convictions will be overturned.”Įarlier ,the defense unsuccessfully had sought to have their client’s time served concurrently.Īs attorney Shawn Holley made clear in remarks to the court today and in a filing this week, if the defense’s argument had been successful that would have seen Masterson imprisoned for 15 years to life as the maximum, with eligibility for parole 85% of the way through his sentence. And that’s what happened here,” she continued, adding, “Mr. And though we have great respect for the jury in this case and for our system of justice overall, sometimes they get it wrong. “The errors which occurred in this case are substantial and unfortunately led to verdicts which are not supported by the evidence. They have identified a number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues which they will address in briefs to both state and federal appellate courts,” said defense attorney Holley outside the courthouse after the sentencing. “For the past several months, a team of the top appellate lawyers in the country has been reviewing transcripts of the trial. He was also notified that he can file a notice of appeal within 60 days of today – a move the defense is expected to make quickly. Masterson was given 150 days credit for time already served.
Today’s sentencing comes over three months after Masterson was found guilty by an LA jury on two of three counts of sexual assault.
As the sentence was announced, Masterson’s wife Bijou Phillips and other family members quietly wept in the public gallery. Given the maximum sentence allocated under the law, Masterson was taken out of the court by Sheriff’s deputies to begin formally serving his time in a state prison.
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