Marilyn Manson Cleared After Assault Probe
Rock star Marilyn Manson will not be charged for any wrongdoing after years of being investigated on allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Prosecutors said there wasn’t enough evidence to press charges against Manson but expressed gratitude to the women who shared their experiences.
“Game Of Thrones” star Esmé Bianco previously revealed she was part of the criminal case against Manson.
On Friday, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman confirmed that his office won’t pursue charges against Manson, real name Brian Warner.
He said in a statement, “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.”
However, Hochman thanked women who had made claims against the musician.
He said, “We recognize and applaud the courage and resilience of the women who came forward to make reports and share their experience, and we thank them for their cooperation and patience with the investigation.”
Hochman expressed that despite failing to proceed with a case against Manson, the DA’s office remained committed to “seeking justice for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault whenever legally possible.”
He concluded, “We encourage anyone experiencing abuse to seek support and make a report to law enforcement as quickly as possible.”
Meanwhile, Manson’s attorney, Howard King, expressed delight that the case against his client had ended.
He told Page Six, “We are very pleased that, after a thorough and incredibly lengthy review of all of the actual evidence, the District Attorney has concluded what we knew and expressed from the start – Brian Warner is innocent.”
The decision not to press charges against Manson puts an end to nearly four years of legal scrutiny. Manson was being investigated for allegations from incidents that reportedly occurred between 2009 and 2011 in West Hollywood.
A source told TMZ that the defense attorney reviewed the sworn testimony of witnesses and claimants.
The insider shared that after the review, it was discovered that their sworn testimony contradicted their initial claims.
One of the contradictory claims was from Smithline, who sued Manson and was interviewed by the press.
The source revealed that she later swore under oath that her claims were false, and that Manson’s ex-fiancée manipulated her fiancée Evan Rachel Wood into making them.
Additionally, Ashley Walter’s sworn testimony contradicted her claims and those of Esmé Bianco.
Prosecutors never revealed the identities of the women they spoke to during their investigations.
However, Esmé Bianco, who played Ros in HBO’s award-winning series “Game of Thrones,” said she was part of the criminal investigation. Blanco, who sued Manson in a now-settled case, previously criticized the lengthy legal process.
She said, “Almost four years ago, I did what victims of rape are supposed to do: I went to the police. I described to them in agonizing detail how the rock Musician Brian Warner — better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson — had raped and abused me over the course of our relationship.”
The actress revealed that she provided investigators with “hundreds of pieces of evidence” to help them in their case against Manson.
Some of these pieces of evidence included her “body covered in bites, bruises and knife wounds, emails and text messages, threats to my immigration status.”
Blanco also claimed that Manson abused her sexually, physically, and emotionally, adding that he allegedly violated human trafficking laws when he brought her to California from England under the pretense of helping her to secure music videos and movie roles.
In 2021, Manson’s former fiancée and “Westworld” star Evan Rachel Wood publicly named him as her abuser.
She made the revelation via a post on Instagram, alleging that he groomed her as a teenager and subjected her to years of horrific abuse.
However, Manson vehemently denied the allegations of Wood, who he started dating in 2007 and was briefly engaged to in 2010. The former couple had a 19-year age difference.
The 56-year-old rockstar said Wood’s claims were “horrible distortions of reality” and sued her for fabricating accusations against him.
In November 2024, Manson and Wood settled their differences, with the rocker agreeing to pay the latter’s legal fees.