Danny Masterson’s Wife Pleaded For Leniency After Rape Conviction: ‘We Need Him More Than You Can Imagine’

 Danny Masterson’s wife, actress Bijou Phillips, wrote a lengthy character statement in support of her husband after he was convicted of rape.

The former “That 70s Show” actor was found guilty in May on two counts of forcible rape that occurred between 2001 and 2003. He was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on September 7, the maximum amount allowed by law. Masterson will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years.

Phillips wrote a letter pleading to the judge for leniency, per Fox News. She spoke of their young daughter Fianna at home and how she’s affected by Masterson’s absence.

“Our daughter and I are heartbroken that he is not home with us,” the letter said.

“Danny and I have been together for 19 years. We married in 2011 and our beautiful daughter was born in 2014. She is the bright spot throughout many years of crises and uncertainty,” Phillips wrote. “I can say that Danny has literally been a life-saving partner to me.”

Phillips further described their daughter as a “miracle child” and detailed Masterson’s involvement in her life. She said he “read her books, [took] her on walks and to ballet lessons. I never once heard him complain. The two were inseparable.”

 

“Danny is an amazing father,” the letter went on. “Our daughter and I are heartbroken that he is not home with us. It has been very difficult without him here. Even though he is now in jail, he calls her every day. He helps her with homework every night. He teaches her math with kindness and patience. She is far above grade level in all subjects, reading three grades above her own, and that is thanks to the guidance and attention of her father.”

“Danny has watched her piano recitals and applauds when she practices in the living room after each song. Our daughter loves her pony on our farm, as well as our dogs and cats,” Phillips wrote. “But more than anything, she loves her father. When he calls us each day, she ends with ‘I love you too much Daddy.’”

“We need him more than you can imagine. 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,” she added.

Masterson’s legal team plans to appeal the conviction due to “substantial” errors that “led to verdicts that were not supported by the evidence.”