[Dana’s comment: I have purposely avoided posting any information on this story for several reasons, but a decision regarding prosecution has been reached, I will post the resolution].
The New York Post reports:
Marilyn Manson is not being charged over the numerous accusations of sexual assault and domestic violence, prosecutors announced Friday.
The decision not to charge…[the] singer — real name Brian Warner — followed “a comprehensive four-year investigation” by “experienced prosecutors” and detectives, new Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
“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,” he said.
The 56-year-old singer had been accused of rape, sexual assault and torture by at least a dozen women, including his former fiancee, actor Evan Rachel Wood.
“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,” Hochman said.
“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,” he said.
“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,” Hochman said.
“We encourage anyone experiencing abuse to seek support and make a report to law enforcement as quickly as possible.”
[As of posting this story, Manson has yet to release any statement regarding the decision].
9 Responses
I don’t really know enough about this to speak intelligently about it, I do beleive people cross moral lines all the time and push limits when it comes to sex , people also like to punish others and get back at them, when they feel wronged , again I don’t know Brian , maybe he dodged a bullet and does some soul searching and makes positive changes?
Hi Robert,
Sadly, many times, unless the abused, document their injuries and file police reports, so there is a trail of evidence, it becomes a guessing game, as to who is telling the truth.
There are a lot of layers to this story, and many women came out, including Manson‘s former personal assistant, that claim they were subject to his abuse.
Manson alleges, that his one time fiancée, actress Rachel Evan Wood, encouraged many of the women, to come forward, after sending
them a falsified letter, claiming that Manson was being investigated by the FBI. Additionally, one woman, eventually recanted her allegations, after claiming she was coached by Wood, and her sometime lover, Illma Gore.
However, actress Ésme Bianco (whole played the head prostitute, Ros, on Game of Thrones) sued Manson, and they settled out of court.
Billboard has an excellent timeline of all the events, if you are interested, you can read it here.
IMHO, regardless of Wood‘s impropriety, Manson appears to have a history of less than gentlemanly behavior, which he even admits himself, in his own biography, The Long Hard Road Out of Hell.
In my humble opinion, I think where there is smoke, there is fire, and Manson, despite being a very articulate, and intelligent person, clearly has/had issues (drug and alcohol (namely absinthe) abuse) and interests in very dark subjects (his fascination with Hilter and the Nazis being one). Even his paintings, expose someone, with a twisted psyche. So adding all of this up, it is easier to conclude, that Manson most likely has a dark side, and that could easily carry over, into his intimate relations, through, mostly likely BDSM, etc.
He alleges that all of his relationships were consensual, but when you ply your mates with drugs and alcohol, that consent becomes questionable. However, on the flip side, if one is going to engage, or play these types of games, one must also accept some responsibility for getting on the ride, so to speak.
Again, it is a complex issue, but I tend to believe Manson is an extreme person, with his onstage persona getting blurred offstage, and any female who decides she wants to engage, should proceed with caution.
Dana – I commend the fact that your response was so objective and even-handed, while also being realistic. I think in cases like this where fans – or not fans – have to separate the the artist from the individual, it becomes difficult to remain objective (Michael Jackson, Jimmy Page, Woody Allen, Picasso, etc.).
Although I’m a fan of Manson’s music and persona, I do agree with your “where there’s smoke, there’s at least (some) fire” assessment, and as you also noted, add alcohol/drugs to the scenario, and it all becomes rather murky, but entirely plausible. And as Robert said, one would hope that Manson makes some positive changes…
Thank you and I appreciate your kind words.
The last I knew, based on reading all about this case, Manson has been married since 2020. His wife’s name is Lindsay Usich, and Wood claims, that she was blackmailed, and intimidated by Usich, as well as, by a friend of Usich‘s. Wood was reportedly, strong armed, into dropping all of the charges against Manson, or else Usich and her friend were to threatening to release intimate pictures of Wood, that she stated, were taken when she was underage. Wood, filed a police report against Usich and her friend, and submitted the threatening communications, as evidence. This can all be seen. in the timeline from the Billboard magazine article, that I tagged in my reply, to Robert.
Additionally, after all of these allegations, his record label and management dropping him, etc., Manson sold his home in West Hollywood. Not sure where he, and his wife, are residing now? I read, possibly somewhere else in LA, but who knows? I always wondered if he sold his West Hollywood home, in order to escape all of the controversy, he needed the money to pay off all of his legal fees, or possibly both?
I cannot imagine, that his career, has not taken some kind of a hit, due to all of this negative publicity. But, one can also argue, that perhaps, he is now passé, and would only appeal to his most hardcore and ardent fan base? Shrug.
Sounds like Manson won’t be asked anytime soon to be the next Bachelor.
Clearly the man has issues.
LOL!!!!
Dana, thanks so much for the information, wow that’s some real drama going on in his life …. i almost said ” where there’s smoke there’s fire” in my first reply ,well, hopefully he does realize he needs to make some changes , as far as his career I think there will always be a market and fan base for the music he writes and his show- I guess time will tell~
Robert,
No thanks necessary.
I only followed this story because it was so high profile, with so many complaints and covered by a plethora of media sources.
Also, having an award winning actress, and another, from one of the biggest shows to ever air, stepping forward to reveal intimate details, made the coverage, somewhat intriguing. Remember, the actresses risked losing their careers, and sullying their reputations, if their allegations were found to be fallacious, baseless and made with malicious intent.
It sounds like he did get very very lucky~