Nathan Hochman, the district attorney for Los Angeles County, declared on Friday that Marilyn Manson would not be charged with a crime in relation to claims of sexual assault and domestic abuse.
In a statement announcing the ruling, the DA’s office stated, “We have decided 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 statement also claimed that investigators from the LA County Sheriff’s Department and prosecutors from the DA’s office’s Sex Crimes Division had finished a “comprehensive” four-year investigation into Manson’s alleged crimes.
“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 continues.
Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, has denied abuse charges for years, despite at least 16 women having made such claims over a ten-year period. Due to the statute of limitations having passed and the “absence of corroboration” for an alleged event that occurred in 2011, then-LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey declined to press charges against the singer in 2018.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department declared an inquiry against Manson in September 2022, four years later. As part of their search, detectives had broken into his house in the Hollywood neighborhood and confiscated media storage devices. According to authorities, they conducted a 19-month examination investigating claims made between 2009 and 2011.
That investigation never resulted in the announcement of any criminal charges.
Esm Bianco, an actress best known for her role on “Game of Thrones,” said she spoke to investigators and presented evidence to prosecutors, but she never heard any updates on the case. Last fall, one of the women who accused Manson of sexual assault and physical abuse came out publicly and accused prosecutors of mishandling the case under the direction of former District Attorney George Gasc n.
She claimed that Gasc had refused to meet with her and had avoided her questions regarding the matter for two years.
During an October protest in favor of Hochman’s campaign, Bianco told reporters, “We are all still waiting for answers,” outside the District Attorney’s Office in downtown Los Angeles.
Hours prior to the gathering, Gasc’s office issued a statement that same day stating that prosecutors were “carefully reviewing new leads” in the case.
The DA meeting with possible victims in person during an active investigation would be “inappropriate,” according to that statement.