Marilyn Manson will not face charges linked to sexual assault, domestic violence allegations, DA says
Marilyn Manson will not face criminal charges in connection with allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Friday.
"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," the DA's office said in a statement announcing the decision.
The statement also said prosecutors from the Sex Crimes Division of the DA's office and detectives from the LA County Sheriff's Department had completed a "comprehensive" investigation spanning four years into the allegations against Manson.
"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 statement reads.
Manson, whose birth name is Brian Warner, has repeatedly denied accusations of abuse for years, with allegations made by at least 16 women going back more than a decade. In 2018, then-LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey declined to file charges against the musician, citing an expiration of the statute of limitations and an "absence of corroboration" for an alleged incident from 2011.
Four years later, in September 2022, the LA County Sheriff's Department announced an investigation into Manson. Detectives had raided his Hollywood area home, seizing media storage devices as part of the search. They carried out a 19-month investigation looking into allegations from between 2009 and 2011, authorities said.
No criminal charges were ever announced in connection with that probe.
Last fall, one of the women who accused Manson of sexual assault and physical abuse spoke out publicly, accusing prosecutors of mishandling the case under the leadership of former District Attorney George Gascón. Esmé Bianco, an actress perhaps best known for her role on "Game of Thrones," said she presented evidence to prosecutors and spoke to investigators but never heard about any updates in the case.
She accused Gascón of avoiding her inquiries about the case for two years and refusing to meet with her.
"We are all still waiting for answers," Bianco told reporters as she spoke outside the District Attorney's Office in downtown LA during an October rally in support of Hochman's run.
The same day, just hours before the rally, Gascón's office released a statement saying prosecutors were "carefully reviewing new leads" in the case. That statement also said it would be "inappropriate" for the DA to personally meet with potential victims in an ongoing investigation.
