Rocker Marilyn Manson won’t face sexual abuse charges despite allegations by more than a dozen women including actors Evan Rachel Wood and Esmé Bianco. Newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Friday, “We have determined that allegations of domestic violence fall outside of the statute of limitations, and we cannot prove charges of sexual assault beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Prosecutors had spent four-plus years investigating “The Beautiful People” and “The Dope Show” singer Manson (real name Brian Warner) after the multiple claims of sexual assault and abuse. Along with Wood and Bianco, he had been accused by other women including a former assistant who alleged sexual harassment, abuse and battery. That case was dismissed over “too few facts” in 2022.
In November, Manson was ordered to pay nearly $327,000 in legal fees to his ex-girlfriend Wood, whom he had sued for defamation in 2022. That suit was spurred by Wood telling a congressional committee in 2017 that she had been raped and repeatedly abused but did not name the alleged predator. But the subject became clear when Phoenix Rising, a two-part documentary about the singer and his supposed cycles of abuse and violence, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
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Back in October, then-L.A. DA George Gascón had said “new evidence has emerged within the last few weeks, adding to an already extensive case file presented to our office by the [L.A. Sheriff’s Department].” One of the singer’s accusers, Game of Thrones alum Bianco, blasted Gascón, saying he had ignored her requests to meet and failed to make a timely decision on whether to prosecute Manson over her claims of sexual abuse. In 2021, Bianco settled her civil suit against Manson, which alleged that he raped her in 2011.
As the allegations surfaced and then grew, Manson was dropped by CAA as a client and axed from acting roles in American Gods and Creepshow. He continued to deny the claims, callign them “horrible distortions of reality” while maintaining that his past relationships were “entirely consensual with like-minded partners.” He is on tour in Europe in support of a new album, One Assassination Under God, Chapter 1. Manson also has a run of U.S. concert dates set for May.
Here is the District Attorney’s Office’s full statement about Friday’s decision not to charge Manson:
Nathan J. Hochman announced today that experienced prosecutors from the Sex Crimes Division of the District Attorney’s Office, along with detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, completed a comprehensive four-year investigation into allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault made against Brian Warner, aka Marilyn Manson. We have determined that allegations of domestic violence fall outside of the statute of limitations, and we cannot prove charges of sexual assault beyond a reasonable doubt.
We recognize and applaud the courage and resilience of the women who came forward to make reports and share their experiences, and we thank them for their cooperation and patience with the investigation. While we are unable to bring charges in this matter, we recognize that the strong advocacy of the women involved has helped bring greater awareness to the challenges faced by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault. We also acknowledge and commend them for making an important contribution to extending the statute of limitations for the prosecution of domestic abuse locally and throughout the nation. Due to their efforts, victims of domestic violence have a greater voice in our criminal justice system and prosecutorial offices around the country have improved tools to hold domestic violence abusers accountable for their actions.
Despite the decision necessitated by the facts and evidence in this matter, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office remains fully committed to seeking justice for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault whenever legally possible. We encourage anyone experiencing abuse to seek support and make a report to law enforcement as quickly as possible.
