Los Angeles prosecutors have decided not to pursue criminal charges against controversial metal star Marilyn Manson, who was accused of sexual assault by multiple women, including actresses Evan Rachel Wood and Esmé Bianco. According to Rolling Stone, District Attorney Nathan Hochman determined that the abuse allegations fell outside the statute of limitations.
In a press statement, the District Attorney’s office wrote: “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. 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.”
Bianco said she was “deeply disappointed” by the decision in a statement, writing, “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.”
Manson dropped his defamation suit against Wood in November after a court ruled that his Wood was not responsible for the defamatory statements.
