Marilyn Manson will not face charges in sexual assault probe

LOS ANGELES (CN) — Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Friday morning that prosecutors will not file charges against shock rock superstar Marilyn Manson following a four-year investigation of claims that Manson sexually assaulted and committed domestic violence against numerous women, some of whom filed civil lawsuits.

“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,” Hochman said. “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.”

The decision not to press charges comes after prosecutors with the Sex Crimes Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, along with detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, said they were investigating new leads in October.

The investigation dates to 2021, when Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives said they were investigating Manson for incidents between 2009 and 2011 that occurred in West Hollywood, where Manson lived at the time. The probe included a search warrant that was served on Manson’s West Hollywood home. Authorities said they seized “media storage devices” from the home after they raided it while Manson was not there.

The case was initially turned over to prosecutors in September 2021, but the district attorney’s office requested more evidence-gathering, and the investigation resumed.

The identities of the women police and prosecutors spoke to were not revealed, but “Game of Thrones” actor Esmé Bianco — who sued Manson in a case that has been settled — said she was part of the criminal investigation.

Bianco said she gave investigators evidence, including photos of her body covered in bites, knife wounds and bruises, as well as access to emails and text messages in which she said Manson threatened her immigration status.

In her lawsuit, Bianco accused Manson of sexual, physical and emotional abuse and said Manson violated human trafficking law by bringing her to California from England for nonexistent roles in music videos and movies.

Another woman sued Manson in 2021 with similar claims. Ashley Lindsay Morgan Smithline, a model and entertainer based in California, claimed Manson carved “MM” into her thigh, spewed antisemitic language at her, and isolated her in his home, where she was forced to work. She said Manson lured her into his home with the prospect of producing a film, only to be ensnared in a cycle of sexual and emotional abuse, forced confinement, and indentured servitude.

In addition to Bianco and Smithline, Manson was sued by dozens of other women, including his former assistant Ashley Walters, who claimed in a 2021 complaint that Manson offered her up to sexually please his famous friends and business contacts, including an actor and a director, between 2010 and 2011.

Wilson also claimed that Manson physically abused her with a whip and forced her to stay awake for 48 hours straight while force-feeding her cocaine.

Walters’ suit was dismissed in May 2022 by a Los Angeles County judge before a state appellate court revived the claims in 2023. Walters’ attorney told Courthouse News at the time that he expected the case to go to trial.

Manson was also accused of assault by his former fiancée, actor Evan Rachel Wood, in 2021. Wood claimed Manson groomed her when she was a teenager and raped her on camera at one point. The accusations led to Manson being dropped from his record label, and Manson sued Wood for defamation in 2022.

Singer Ellie Rowsell claimed in a series of tweets in 2021 that Manson filmed up her skirt with a GoPro when they were backstage at a music festival.

“There were no repercussions for his behavior, his tour manager simply said ‘he does this kind of thing all the time,’” Rowsell tweeted.

Singer Phoebe Bridgers, in since-deleted tweets from 2021, said she visited Manson’s home as a teenager and that he referred to a room as the “rape room.”

“The label knew, management knew, the band knew,” Bridgers said in a tweet deriding Manson’s circle for “pretending to be shocked and horrified” by the allegations.

More women came forward with accusations and lawsuits against Manson after Wood went public with hers. Not all of the women’s identities have been made public.

Manson shot to superstardom in the 1990s, selling millions of records known for blending industrial, gothic and rock influences. Manson attracted controversy at the time for his gothic image and makeup, with his music and image often sparking moral panic and many accusing him of promoting violence, blasphemy and rebellion.

Representatives for Manson did not respond to requests for comment before this story was published.