Evan Rachel Wood ‘Endlessly Proud’ of Survivors After Marilyn Manson Avoids Charges

Evan Rachel Wood said she was “endlessly proud of all the survivors” who shared their allegations against Marilyn Manson after prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges against the musician. 

Wood was one of the first people to publicly accuse Manson (real name Brian Warner), claiming he groomed her as a teenager and “horrifically abused” her during their on-again, off-again relationship between 2006 and 2011. Over a dozen more women came forward with allegations against Warner, and a criminal investigation was launched. (Warner has repeatedly denied all the allegations against him.)

But on Friday, Jan. 24, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office said it would not bring charges against Warner. They said the domestic violence claims against Warner fell outside the statute of limitations, and the sexual assault charges could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. 

In response, Wood said, “Evidence of violent crimes should not have an expiration date. I am grateful for the work law enforcement has done, and I am endlessly proud of all the survivors who risked everything to protect others by speaking the truth.”

She continued: “We always knew that the statute of limitations would be a barrier, which is why we created the Phoenix Act — so that other victims wouldn’t have to experience this outcome.”

The California law Wood is referring to, the Phoenix Act, was signed in 2020 and extended the statute of limitations in domestic violence cases from three to five years. Wood was a prominent supporter of the bill, even testifying in front of the California State Senate in April 2019. (At the time, Wood had spoken about her experiences with abuse, but had not yet publicly accused Warner.) 

However, as Wood acknowledged in her statement, the Phoenix Act did not apply to her allegations against Warner because it “cannot help in cases which occurred before [the law] was passed.”

Still, she added, “I hope this shines a light on why it’s so important to advocate for better laws.”

In response to the district attorney’s decision, a lawyer for Warner, Howard King, said, “We are very pleased that, after a thorough and incredibly lengthy review of all of the actual evidence, the District Attorney has concluded what we knew and expressed from the start — Brian Warner is innocent.”

One of Warner’s other accusers, the actress Esmé Bianco, said she was “deeply disappointed” by the decision, and addressed Warner directly: “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. 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.”