Actress Shira Scott Astrof spent more than a decade seeking accountability after she said Matthew Leonard Werner attacked her. Now, fewer than 12 months after he was sent to prison, Werner has been released.
Werner faced accusations from Astrof and several other women. In Astrof’s case, he pleaded no contest to felony assault likely to cause great bodily injury and misdemeanor sexual battery, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told Oxygen. Under a plea agreement, he received a four-year suspended prison term and probation. Oxygen was unable to determine whether Werner has an attorney.
The Los Angeles Police Department declined to comment when contacted by Oxygen.
Werner was ordered in February to serve the balance of his sentence after violating probation multiple times. He was released on Oct. 20, however, after spending approximately eight months in custody.
A representative for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told People that Werner is now subject to post-release community supervision through the Los Angeles County Probation Department, saying he had “serv[ed] his full sentence as required by law.”
The department told ABC7 that Werner had accumulated 972 days of custody credit and could have qualified for additional credits, though officials did not clarify whether any such credits were granted.
Astrof said Werner’s release has been deeply painful.
“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 first connected with 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 accuse Werner of assault. Los Angeles police identified four additional alleged victims, but after one woman withdrew from the case, the others eventually decided not to continue.
“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 took a plea deal, 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 refrain from using social media, according to ABC7. He repeatedly breached those conditions, and his latest violation resulted in an order to return to jail and complete the remainder of his four-year sentence.
After eight months behind bars, Werner is free again. Astrof is urging anyone else who says they were harmed by him to report their experiences.
“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.
