Actress Shira Scott Astrof spent years pushing for her attacker to be held accountable. Now, less than a year after Matthew Leonard Werner was imprisoned, he is free again.
Werner, who was accused of sexually assaulting Astrof and other women, pleaded no contest in Astrof’s case to one felony count of assault likely to cause great bodily injury and one misdemeanor count of sexual battery, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told Oxygen. Under a plea agreement, Werner received a four-year suspended prison sentence and probation. Oxygen was unable to identify an attorney representing Werner.
A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by Oxygen.
After repeatedly violating the terms of his probation, Werner was ordered in February to serve the balance of his sentence. He was released on Oct. 20, however, after spending just eight months behind bars.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told People that Werner is now under post-release community supervision through the Los Angeles County Probation Department, “after serving his full sentence as required by law.”
The department also told ABC7 that Werner received 972 days of credit for time served and qualified for additional credits, though officials did not say whether those credits were granted.
For Astrof, Werner’s release has been deeply distressing.
“For over a decade, I’ve fought to protect women and children from this monster and encourage other survivors to come forward so we can put him away for good,” she told People in an Oct. 22 statement. “California’s justice system has made it painfully clear that it is not on our side. My message remains unchanged: Come forward. Speak up. Help protect the next woman or child. I will stand beside you every step of the way.”
Astrof said she met Werner through a dating app, where he allegedly presented himself as a professional soccer player.
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“It was instead this monster, and when I turned my back, he attacked me from behind,” Astrof told ABC7 in 2023. “He dislocated my shoulder. I had choke marks. I still have problems with my neck. I still remember the pain and the shock of it.”
Astrof was not the only woman to make allegations against Werner. Los Angeles police identified four additional women who said they had been assaulted by him. One later withdrew from the case, and the remaining women eventually did the same.
“For eight years I waited before he was finally arrested and a trial date was set,” Astrof told the Los Angeles Times. “The morning I testified, I was trembling from head to toe. I was terrified that I would leave the courtroom in tears and regret from being told repeatedly how scary it would be.”
Werner ultimately accepted a plea agreement, avoiding a trial. For Astrof, though, the legal battle continued.
As a condition of probation, Werner was required to register as a sex offender and stay off social media, according to ABC7. He repeatedly violated those requirements, and his final violations resulted in his return to jail to complete the remainder of his four-year sentence.
Eight months later, Werner is out of prison once more, while Astrof continues urging other alleged victims to speak publicly.
“Matthew Werner is a coward who preys on women when their backs are turned,” she told People on Oct. 22. “Literally. He is weak, and we are stronger than he will ever be. To every woman he has hurt: Please come forward. Don’t let him hurt more women and children.”
Representatives for Astrof and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not immediately respond to Oxygen’s requests for comment.