The alleged victims of Marilyn Manson are reacting to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s decision not to prosecute the disgraced musician. On Friday, Game of Thrones actress Esme Bianco — who sued and then settled a sexual assault lawsuit with the singer — shared that she was “deeply disappointed” but not surprised by the outcome of the D.A. investigation.
“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,” Bianco wrote. “Once again, our justice system has failed survivors.”
Bianco said it’s not that the prosecutors or detectives in the case who failed, but “the system that made them do so with one hand tied behind their collective facts.” Bianco assured that she would not allow the D.A. decision to curtail her “healing and peace.”
On Friday, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that after a four-year investigation, prosecutors had determined that the domestic abuse allegations against Manson fell outside the statute of limitations and that the sexual assault charges could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
“I know the truth of what happened to me. It sits deeply rooted in my belly, unshakable, mine. No one and nothing can take that away,” Bianco wrote. “And so to all the survivors reading this, who are being hit by yet another piece of stinging news and feeling hopeless or discouraged, let me remind you: you know your truth also.”
“Let that be your anchor, for it is stronger than the bars of any prison,” she added. “Using that truth as our guide we can draw strength to continue the fight for justice reform. Shine our light onto the dark realities of sexual violence and intimate partner abuse, so that we can not only understand it but end it. Strive to heal not only ourselves but the hurt people who hurt others.”
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Bianco ended her powerful statement by directing some words to Manson. “By you dragging me through hell, I discovered the unstoppable force of my own power. I learnt how strong, and brave and bold I really am,” she wrote. “I emerged as a Phoenix from the ashes that you left of my life. You also know the truth, and may you endeavor to find peace with that.”
A lawyer for Marilyn Manson did not immediately return Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.
Bianco told Rolling Stone in October that the prosecutor’s office had “mishandled” rap accusations, and that she was in “absolute agony” waiting for a decision to charge to come forth. In interviews with the D.A., Bianco said Manson trafficked her, whipped her, repeatedly sexually assaulted her, and raped her at knifepoint during a traumatic two-year domestic relationship that ended in 2011.
Outside the criminal investigation, Warner reached an out-of-court settlement with Bianco in Janaury 2023. Later that year, he also reached a private settlement with a Jane Doe accuser who alleged he brutally raped her in 2011. The Doe accuser further alleged that Warner also deprived her of food and sleep during their relationship and that he threatened to “bash her head in” if she reported.
As detailed in a 2021 Rolling Stone exposé, Warner has faced numerous allegations of sexual assault and violence over the years, including claims brought by actress Evan Rachel Wood. Warner has repeatedly denied the accusations against him.
In Friday’s statement, Bianco’s attorney Jay Ellwanger said in the statement that it was “an honor” to represent Bianco and other victims who came forward to provide evidence to the L.A. Sheriff’s Department, adding that “they respectfully disagree with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s decision.”
He added: “There is no statute of limitation for the suffering experienced by these brave women.”
