Marilyn Manson Sex Assault Investigation Goes To Prosecutors
The District’s Attorney's office will decide if criminal charges will be brought up against Marilyn Manson.
Getty Images
After 19 months of investigating sexual abuse claims against Marilyn Manson, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department turned it over to the District Attorney’s office who will decide if they will bring criminal charges against the singer.
Several women have accused the artist, whose real name is Brian Hugh Warner, of sexual and physical abuse, according to the Associated Press.
“The incidents occurred between 2009 and 2011 when Mr. Warner lived in the city of West Hollywood,” sheriff’s investigators from the Department's Special Victims Bureau told the Los Angeles Times.
“Once we have received the case, it will be carefully evaluated by experienced prosecutors to determine if it is appropriate to file charges at this time,” District Attorney George Gascón said. “The District Attorney is committed to investing in trauma-informed care for all victims of sexual assault, abuse, and intimate partner violence. We understand how difficult it may be to come forward as a victim, especially when the case involves this level of notoriety, and are dedicated to treating all victims with the highest level of care and respect.”
Warner has repeatedly denied the allegations and the statute of limitations for rape in California is 10 years.
While all the identities of his accusers are not known, some of them like Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco and Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood have spoken publicly. The latter was the main subject for an HBO documentary that chronicled Warner’s alleged abuse.
In 2018, according to the LA Times, Wood testified in front of congress about the abuse she suffered, during the peak of the #MeToo movement. At the time, she did not name Warner as the culprit.
“He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years,” Wood wrote in messages posted to Instagram in February 2021. “I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission. I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander, or blackmail.”
Bianco alleged Warner raped her and experienced sleep deprivation and forced labor after the singer offered to help her get her work visa.
Warner is suing Wood for what he calls a fabrication. According to the AP, Warner believes Wood and another woman penned a phony letter from the FBI to convince other women to come forward.
Gascón believes this case will be brought to his office sometime in October 2022.
