Marilyn Manson’s sexual assault case disappointingly proves famous white men still get off easy

A years-long investigation into 56-year-old Marilyn Manson has ended, and prosecutors have decided not to file charges against him for sexual assault and domestic abuse. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman declared that the allegations are too old and the evidence is not sufficient enough to charge Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hochman stated:

“We have determined that allegations of domestic violence fall outside of the statute of limitations, and we cannot prove charges of sexual assault beyond a reasonable doubt. 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.”

Manson was being investigated for incidents that happened between 2009 and 2011 in West Hollywood, with the case going to LA County in 2021 before being turned over to prosecutors that September. Though the identities of the women involved were not made public, Game of Thrones star Esmé Bianco — who had already sued Manson in a now-settled case — did come forward willingly about her involvement. She said over the course of the four-year investigation that she gave investigators “hundreds of pieces of evidence, including photos of my body covered in bites, bruises and knife wounds, emails and text messages, threats to my immigration status.”

Famously, in 2021, Manson’s former fiancée, Evan Rachel Wood, known for starring in HBO’s Westworld, came forward and called out Manson for being her former abuser in an Instagram story. The pair began dating in 2007 when Wood was 19 and Manson was 38, and she has claimed that he groomed her. In 2010, they became engaged before ultimately breaking it off. Other women then started to come forward and sue Manson.

When will women come first?

After Wood and other women came forward, Manson sued them over “fabricated” claims. Eventually, after a judge tossed out significant portions of the suit, it was dropped, and Manson agreed to pay Wood’s attorney fees.

Unfortunately, this ruling just further proves that men — especially white men — will continue getting away with sexual assault. Especially in situations like these, where the cases take over 4 years to come to a decision. There is not unlimited time for these kinds of assaults. Four years is also an excessive time for what should be a cut-and-dry case, given the evidence and the amount of women who stepped forward. But, of course, it is never about the women, and it never will be.

Fame should not be a blanket for wrongdoing. Leeway especially should not be given. The cycle needs to be broken, and men need to stop getting by. Former District Attorney George Gascón said in October of last year that there was more to be added to the “already extensive” file on Manson. So what became of that?

It’s tiring, and it’s disheartening. Women continue to live in fear of speaking up because the outcome is almost never favorable, especially when famous white men are involved. Since the original accusations, Manson’s name has been muddied, but then somehow he does not get convicted in the end? Make it make sense.