Evan Rachel Wood has released a statement following the decision by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office to not level sexual abuse charges on Marilyn Manson, citing statute of limitations.
The three-time Emmy nominee said she is “grateful” for authorities’ four-year investigation into the matter and “endlessly proud” of the more than dozen survivors who have spoken up, adding that the case’s resolution is “evidence” that “violent crimes should not have an expiration date.”
“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 on her private Instagram, per People. “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 Phoenix Act came to fruition from a collaboration with former California assembly member Eduardo Garcia and Sen. Susan Rubio, and was passed unanimously in 2020 to extend the statute of limitations in domestic violence cases to five years. Wood testified in front of the State Senate in April 2019 to support the bill.
Watch on Deadline
“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. “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.”
The Westworld actress was joined by colleague Esmé Bianco in releasing a statement; Bianco is among the accusers, and previously sued Manson for sexual assault and battery in 2021, settling that case two years later. The Game of Thrones alumna said she was “deeply disappointed” though “sadly not surprised” with the outcome.
“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, in part, on Instagram. “Once again, our justice system has failed survivors.”
On Friday, newly minted L.A. DA Nathan Hochman released a statement about the conclusion of the case: “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.”
Last week, Wood further detailed her experience with the rock musician, née Brian Warner, appearing in Channel 4’s Marilyn Manson: Unmasked to say she felt “so f—ing violated” and “essentially raped” by him during the set of a 2007 music video.