Mila wrote to the judge that from the moment she met Masterson, she “could sense his innate goodness and genuine nature” and that he proved “to be an amazing friend, confidant, and, above all, an outstanding older brother figure” to her.
Like her husband, she also praised the actor’s “steadfastness in promoting a drug-free lifestyle.” She added that “his genuine concern for those around him and his commitment to leading by example make him an outstanding role model and friend” and that “Danny’s role as a husband and father to his daughter has been nothing short of extraordinary.”
Bijou Phillips, Masterson’s wife and mother of their 9-year-old daughter Fianna Francis Masterson, had also written the judge to plead for leniency in her husband’s sentencing. “We need him more than you can imagine,” she wrote. “I know he has been convicted of serious crimes. But the man I married has only been an extraordinary husband to me and a devoted father to our daughter.”
Bijou was spotted sobbing in court during his latest hearing. After he was sentenced, he blew her a kiss before being led away.
A day after the sentencing, Ashley Hinshaw, wife of That ’70s Show alum Topher Grace, took to her Instagram Stories to share her thoughts. “To every rape victim that is retraumatized by witnessing society debate and focus their attention on what is going to happen to the RAPIST…I see you,” she wrote, adding a heart emoji.
Masterston plans to appeal his conviction. “The errors which occurred in this case are substantial and unfortunately, led to verdicts which are not supported by the evidence,” his lawyer, Shawn Holley, said in a statement after his sentencing. “And though we have great respect for the jury in this case and for our system of justice overall, sometimes they get it wrong. And that’s what happened here.”
Masterson, Holley said, “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.”
