New leads being accessed in Marilyn Manson sexual abuse case

Posted On October 10, 2024October 10, 2024

Four years on from the original wave of abuse allegations levelled against Brian Warner – better known by his stage name, Marilyn Manson – details surrounding the case are still coming to light. This week, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced that the sexual abuse case faced by Manson is currently under review by the Sex Crimes Division due to “new leads” having emerged. 

Gascón released a statement affirming that prosecutors will be assessing “new leads and additional evidence” which has arisen from an ongoing investigation into the Manson abuse case by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. According to the statement, “new evidence” has emerged in the past few weeks, although the specifics of what said evidence pertains to is not yet clear. 

Continuing, the District Attorney wrote, “It is our office’s responsibility to ensure that we have a complete picture of the admissible evidence available before making a filing decision.” Gascón also added, “Senior staff members have met with victims, and our prosecutors continue to remain in contact with the victims and their representatives throughout this process.”

According to the District Attorney, his offices are expected to “[make] a filing decision soon and will provide an update when that time comes.” Gascón also wrote, “At that time, I look forward to meeting with the victims to discuss how my office can continue to support them.”

This news comes months after Manson launched an appeal in his own defamation lawsuit, which he levelled against Evan Rachel Wood. Wood was among the first women to come forward back in 2020, accusing Manson of various counts of sexual abuse. Her allegations, in turn, led to more women coming forward and speaking out against the musician. In response, Manson filed a defamation lawsuit against the actor, which a judge then threw out. 

On top of that, Manson was also ordered to pay almost $500,000 in legal fees to both Wood and Ashley ‘Illma’ Gore, who was also a target of one of Manson’s defamation suits. Manson made a variety of accusations against Gore, namely that she had hacked into his social media accounts, swatted his house to the FBI, and spent an extensive period contacting Manson’s former girlfriends and acquaintances in an effort to drum up evidence. Ultimately, none of these claims have been found truthful by a court. 

Back in 2022, the LAPD shared the results of their 19-month investigation into Manson’s alleged sexual abuse of former partners like Wood. However, the evidence presented by the police department has since been called “partial” by the District Attorney, who has stated that more evidence would be needed to formally charge Manson with any crimes.

When did these allegations first come to light?

Back in 2021, a California State Senator wrote to the FBI urging them to launch an investigation into Marilyn Manson after multiple women had come forward with stories of abuse at the hands of the musician. Then, in February of 2021, Rachel Evan Wood, who had been in a relationship with Manson a decade prior, posted to social media, alleging that Manson had been abusive towards her during their time together.

Wood’s public accusation paved the way for several other women to come forward. In total, 16 people have levelled accusations of abuse or sexual assault against Marilyn Manson. These accusations led to Manson being dropped from his talent agency and record label, as well as the various television shows and public appearances he was scheduled to make. For his part, the singer has denied all abuse allegations, saying that accusers were “misrepresenting the past.”

For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.

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