Prosecutors Say More Evidence Needed Before Abuse Charges Can be Brought Against Marilyn Manson
Earlier this week, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department sent L.A. District Attorney George Gascón their case on the sexual abuse investigation of Marilyn Manson [via L.A. Times]. On Tuesday (Sept. 20), the prosecutors deemed that more evidence is needed before they can consider criminal charges.
The investigation on Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, was conducted by the L.A. County Sheriff's Department's Special Victims Bureau over a span of 19 months. NBC Los Angeles reports that the D.A.'s office said the case they received contained "partial case material."
"There is more material that is still outstanding. However, we do not have a timeline for the additional submission from the LASD,'" the office wrote in a statement. "Once we receive everything, experienced prosecutors will carefully and deliberatively review everything that has been submitted prior to making a filing decision. This review will take some time, but rest assured our office takes these allegations very seriously.'"
Accusations of sexual assault and domestic violence have been made against Manson by various women, starting in February of 2021 when actress Evan Rachel Wood, who dated the musician from 2006 until 2010, named him as her alleged abuser. Since then, other claims have been made by Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco, actress Bianca Allaine, Ashley Morgan Smithline, his former personal assistant Ashley Walters, an unnamed former girlfriend and others, who've supported the claims.
Last November, authorities searched Manson's Los Angeles home as part of the investigation, where several media devices were seized.
In March of this year, Manson filed a lawsuit against Wood, which included several complaints: intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation per se, violation of the Comprehensive Computer Data and Access Fraud Act and impersonation over the internet.
The report essentially claimed that Wood and her partner Ashley Gore conspired to build a case against him by recruiting and persuading prospective accusers, illegally hacking into his email accounts to create fraudulent chains of communication and impersonating an FBI agent by forging a letter that warned the alleged victims and their families that they could be in danger as a result of the investigation.
"There will come a time when I can share more about the events of the past year. Until then, I'm going to let the facts speak for themselves," the singer wrote in a post on his Instagram, and shared a link to the full lawsuit in his bio, which can be viewed here.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, resources are available for help. Visit the RAINN website (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) or dial 800-656-HOPE (800-656-4673).