The Los Angeles prosecutor announced Friday the dropping of charges against rock singer Marilyn Manson, accused of sexual assault and violence by several women in recent years.
“We cannot prove”
After a four-year investigation, the prosecution “determined that the charges of domestic violence are time-barred”. “We cannot prove the accusations of sexual assault beyond a reasonable doubt,” Nathan Hochman said in a statement.
In recent years, several women, including the singer’s ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood and “Game of Thrones” actress Esmé Bianco, have publicly accused Marilyn Manson of rape or sexual assault. The singer, whose real name is Brian Warner, has always denied it.
The Los Angeles police opened an investigation against the rockstar, relating to acts committed between 2009 and 2011.
Aged 56, Marilyn Manson plays his public persona with a disturbing image, of gothic inspiration, made up, wearing two different lenses, with jet-black hair. Her stage name is inspired by the actress Marilyn Monroe and the guru Charles Manson, who provoked, among other things, the murder of the actress Sharon Tate.
-Financial agreement
Actress Evan Rachel Wood explained that she was raped in 2017, at the start of the #MeToo movement. She testified on this subject before the US Congress in 2018, before publicly accusing Marilyn Manson in 2020 on social networks.
She never formally filed a complaint against him but Marilyn Manson filed a complaint against her for defamation, a procedure which he finally renounced last November. He also reached a financial agreement with Evan Rachel Wood in January 2023 for her to withdraw her complaint.
“While we are unable to prosecute this case, we recognize that the vigorous advocacy of the women involved has helped to raise awareness of the challenges faced by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.” , underlined prosecutor Hochman on Friday, saluting their “courage” and their “resilience”.
Marilyn Manson is currently on a world tour. A few hours before the prosecutor’s press release, the “shock rock” singer announced on Instagram that it would include dates in the United States.
