D.A. ‘hopeful’ that abuse investigation into Marilyn Manson will be presented this month
An investigation into abuse allegations against rock singer Marilyn Manson is still in progress by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Dist. Atty. George Gascón said Monday in a video update posted on social media.
The investigation “has not yet been submitted to our office,” Gascón said. “Be assured we are requesting regular updates on the status of this investigation.
“Once we have received the case, it will be carefully evaluated by experienced prosecutors to determine if it is appropriate to file charges at this time. We’re hopeful that the [Sheriff’s Department] will present the case to us sometime this month.”
Court records reviewed by The Times and nearly two dozen interviews portray Manson as a transgressive artist who mistreated and isolated women.
A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Department said Monday that the investigation “is active and ongoing” and declined to comment further.
Gascón’s update was part of the “Ask the DA” series, in which he answers questions submitted through social media.
Authorities began investigating domestic violence allegations against Marilyn Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, last year. A search warrant was served at his home in November.
“The incidents occurred between 2009 and 2011 when Mr. Warner lived in the city of West Hollywood,” the Sheriff’s Department said last year. It did not identify the accuser.
The Philadelphia hip-hop artist, 30, was targeted for his jewelry while he was eating at the South L.A. restaurant, police said.
Evan Rachel Wood, star of HBO’s “Westworld,” was in a relationship with Manson during that time. She became engaged to the singer in 2010 before splitting.
Last year, Wood and several other women publicly accused Manson of abuse.
“He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years,” Wood wrote in messages posted to Instagram. “I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission. I am done living in fear of retaliation, slander or blackmail.”
Manson has denied the allegations. In March, he sued Wood and artist Illma Gore in L.A. County Superior Court, accusing them of defamation, fraud and conspiracy.
‘He made me forget who I was, and it’s taken me years to remember,’ Evan Rachel Wood says of Marilyn Manson before tonight’s ‘Phoenix Rising’ premiere.
Manson also faces a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles alleging sexual assault and battery and human trafficking. The suit was filed last year by actor Esmé Bianco.
Bianco alleges that she was raped and subjected to sleep deprivation and forced labor after Manson offered to help her obtain a work visa.
“The district attorney is committed to investing in trauma-informed care for all victims of sexual assault, abuse and intimate partner violence,” Gascón said in Monday’s video. “We understand how difficult it may be to come forward as a victim, especially when the case involves this level of notoriety, and are dedicated to treating all victims with the highest level of care and respect.”
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