Prosecutors won't file sexual assault charges against Marilyn Manson
Prosecutors say they will not press charges against rock musician Marilyn Manson (real name Brian Warner) after a years-long investigation into sexual and domestic violence. The Associated Press (AP) reported Friday, Jan. 24.
"We have determined that the domestic violence charges are beyond the statute of limitations, and we cannot prove the sexual assault charges beyond a reasonable doubt," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.
The prosecutor said he applauded the courage and resilience of the women who came forward and shared their experiences of abuse. He also thanked them.
That said, on Oct. 9, nearly four years into the investigation, then-District Attorney George Gascón said his office would explore new leads that add to the "already extensive" dossier compiled on the 56-year-old musician.
"We are very pleased that after a thorough and incredibly lengthy review of all the actual evidence, the district attorney has reached the conclusion we knew and have said all along: Brian Warner is innocent," the AP quoted the musician's attorney Howard King as saying in a statement.
The identities of the injured women have not been released. However, Esme Bianco, the "Game of Thrones" actress, said she was part of the investigation. She said she provided the investigation with plenty of evidence, including photos of her body "covered in bites, bruises and stab wounds," as well as a threatening email from Manson.
"I described to them in excruciating detail how rock musician Brian Warner - better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson - raped and abused me during our relationship," she shared.
Bianco also accused the singer of violating human trafficking laws because he allegedly brought her to the U.S. from England, promising her roles in non-existent music videos and movies.
Last summer, Marilyn Manson released two singles, As Sick As The Secrets Within and Raise The Red Flag, before embarking on a music tour. This came amidst intense litigation and "cancelation" of the artist. This then got fans and music critics talking about the artist's return to the industry.
In January 2023, model Ashley Morgan Smithline, who accused Marilyn Manson of violence, admitted to slandering him. Smithline revealed that the musician's former favorite actress Evan Rachel Wood and others pressured her to go public with the allegations, which she now calls false.
In 2021, Manson's former fiancée, actress Evan Rachel Wood of the TV series Westworld, first called the musician an "abuser" in an Instagram post (owned by Meta, an organization recognized as extremist and banned in Russia). Their relationship became public in 2007, when he was 38 and she was 19. The rocker himself called it a "distortion of reality" and sued. Later, in March 2022, it became known that the musician filed a libel suit against Evan Rachel Wood.
