Evan Rachel Wood is speaking out for the first time since Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said his office would not be filing domestic abuse and sexual assault charges against her ex-fiancé, Marilyn Manson.
Wood, 37, shared a post to her private Instagram account on Friday, Jan. 24, in which she wrote candidly about Hochman’s decision earlier in the day not to charge Manson (born Brian Warner) after a four-year investigation into allegations against him. It is unclear which allegations and conduct the investigation centered on.
“My lawyer and I were advised by the Deputy District Attorneys and the Sheriff deputies who investigated the case that there was compelling evidence to support our claims, but that the statute of limitations prevents many of those crimes from being prosecuted,” Wood wrote. “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.”
“Unfortunately, the Phoenix Act cannot help in cases which occurred before it was passed, but I hope this shines a light on why it’s so important to advocate for better laws,” Wood continued.
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Wood wrote and created the Phoenix Act with the help of legislators and domestic violence survivors in 2019. The law extends the time victims have to come forward and get justice and was signed into law in California that year. It extends the statute of limitations for domestic violence felony crimes from three years to five years. It also expands training requirements for police officers to help them properly identify survivors of domestic violence without causing additional harm.
“Evidence of violent crimes should not have an expiration date,” the Westworld actress concluded. “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.”
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Hochman said Friday that the allegations against Manson fell outside the statute of limitations in California.
“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,” Hochman said in his announcement, adding that the investigation against Manson was closed.
“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,” Hochman added. “While we are unable to bring charges in this matter, we recognize that the strong advocacy of the women involved has helped bring greater awareness to the challenges faced by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.”
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Manson has also faced other allegations of sexual misconduct outside of Wood’s claims, including from Game of Thrones actress Esmé Bianco, who accused him in a 2021 lawsuit of sexual assault, abuse and battery. She alleged that the musician locked her in a bedroom, tied her up, whipped her and electrocuted her. They settled the case out of court in 2023.
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Bianco shared a statement through her lawyer to the Associated Press after Hochman’s announcement, writing that she was “not surprised” by the outcome of the case.
“Whilst I am deeply disappointed by the decision of the District Attorney to not bring charges in the case against Brian Warner, I am sadly not surprised,” her statement reads. “Once again, our justice system has failed survivors. Not the individual prosecutors and detectives who worked for years on this case, but the system that made them do so with one hand tied behind their collective backs.”
Manson’s attorney, Howard King, said Hochman’s decision vindicated his client.
“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,” said King.
Wood first opened up about being sexually assaulted by a “significant other” in 2016. The actress, who dated Manson from mid-2006 to early 2011 beginning when she was 18 years old, named him as her alleged abuser in February 2021. In HBO’s Phoenix Rising documentary, she alleged he “essentially raped” her on camera while filming a music video in 2007.
Manson filed a defamation suit against Wood in 2021 in which he denied the allegations, calling them a “malicious falsehood.” He dropped the suit last year after agreeing to pay Wood’s $327,000 in legal fees.
A representative for Wood did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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