Last Friday (Jan. 24), Loudwire reported on the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office deciding that they won’t press charges against Marilyn Manson (whose real name is Brian Hugh Warner) following a four-year investigation into alleged domestic abuse. Now, Manson’s ex-fiancée, Evan Rachel Wood, as well as actress and accuser Esmè Bianco, have responded to the decision.
Wood’s Response
On Friday, and per People magazine, Wood – who formally accused Manson of abuse in 2021 – posted the following statement to her private Instagram account:
My lawyer and I were advised by the Deputy District Attorneys and the Sheriff deputies who investigated the case that there was compelling evidence to support our claims, but that the statute of limitations prevents many of those crimes from being prosecuted. We always knew that the statute of limitations would be a barrier, which is why we created the Phoenix Act so that other victims wouldn’t have to experience this outcome.
Unfortunately, the Phoenix Act cannot help in cases which occurred before it was passed, but I hope this shines a light on why it’s so important to advocate for better laws. Evidence of violent crimes should not have an expiration date. I am grateful for the work law enforcement has done, and I am endlessly proud of all the survivors who risked everything to protect others by speaking the truth.
The Phoenix Act was established in 2019 to “give more time to victims to come back from their trauma,” as well as to ensure that “under specific circumstances, there should be exceptions to the statute of limitations for domestic violence crimes.”
However, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman issued a statement on Friday that – among other things – explains: “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.”
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Bianco’s Response
Bianco – who also accused Manson of abuse in 2021 and reached a settlement in 2023 – posted the following statement to Instagram on Friday as well:
Whilst I am deeply disappointed by the decision of the District Attorney to not bring charges in the case against Brian Warner, I am sadly not surprised. Within our toxic culture of victim blaming; a lack of understanding of coercive control, the complex nature of sexual assault within intimate partnerships, and statutes of limitations that do not support the realities of healing; prosecutions face an oftentimes insurmountable hurdle.
Once again, our justice system has failed survivors. Not the individual prosecutors and detectives who worked for years on this case, but the system that made them do so with one hand tied behind their collective backs. Seven years ago when I was faced for the first time with that failure, it set me out on a journey of advocacy and activism, but with that came a very clear directive. My healing and peace could not be reliant upon the outcome of a desperately broken system.
I know the truth of what happened to me. It sits deeply rooted in my belly, unshakable, mine. No-one and nothing can take that away. And so to all the survivors reading this, who are being hit by yet another piece of stinging news and feeling hopeless or discouraged, let me remind you: you know your truth also. Let that be your anchor, for it is stronger than the bars of any prison.
Using that truth as our guide we can draw strength to continue the fight for justice reform. Shine our light onto the dark realities of sexual violence and intimate partner abuse, so that we can not only understand it but end it. Strive to heal not only ourselves but the hurt people who hurt others. Our culture needs your love, compassion and bright light now more than ever. That is the truth.
To Brian Warner, I say only this. By you dragging me through hell, I discovered the unstoppable force of my own power. I learnt how strong, and brave and bold I really am. I emerged as a Phoenix from the ashes that you left of my life. You also know the truth, and may you endeavor to find peace with that.
You can see her Instagram post below:
The L.A. D.A.’s Office Decision + Allegations Against Manson
You can read more about the Los Angeles District Attorney Office’s decision to not press charges against Manson – including the response from Manson’s lawyer, Howard King – by clicking here.
Likewise, you can see a timeline of the abuse allegations against Manson below.
Timeline of Abuse Allegations Against Marilyn Manson
After actress Evan Rachel Wood accused Marilyn Manson of abuse in 2021, similar allegations by others against the rock singer also surfaced. Below is a timeline, starting with Wood’s 2018 testimony that disclosed her alleged abuse but didn’t yet name Manson. The musician, whose real name is Brian Warner, has denied the allegations. Several accusers subsequently sued him; he sued Wood in 2022.
Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff