Marilyn Manson fans want Evan Rachel Wood jailed after Ashley Smithline claims she ‘manipulated’ her
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: There are growing calls for Evan Rachel Wood to be jailed after her ex-boyfriend Marilyn Manson's former girlfriend, who had accused him of rape and abuse, backed away from the allegations and insisted she was manipulated by the 'Westworld' actress.
Ashley Smithline, 37, filed a declaration in Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday, February 23, claiming her allegations against Manson were not true and that she "succumbed to pressure" from the shock rocker's former girlfriend and accuser, Wood. "I succumbed to pressure from Evan Rachel Wood and her associates to make accusations of rape and assault against Mr. Warner that were not true," Smithline wrote, adding, "Eventually, I started to believe that what I was repeatedly told happened to Ms. Wood and [others] also happened to me."
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The fallout
It's worth noting that Smithline's case was dismissed without prejudice in January after attorney Jay Ellwanger backed out of representing her in October 2022 and she did not hire a new attorney or represent herself by the December 5, 2022, deadline.
"I remember [Wood] asked me whether I had been, among other things, whipped, chained, tied up, branded/cut, assaulted while sleeping, beaten, or raped. She said all of these things happened to Ms. Wood and others, and that when Ms. Wood was with [Manson] every moment was a moment of survival," Smithline wrote in her latest statement. "When I said, no this did not happen to me and this was not my experience, I recall being told by Ms. Wood that just because I could not remember did not necessarily mean that it did not happen," she added.
Wood's spokesperson has vehemently denied Smithline's claims, saying she never manipulated her. "Evan never pressured or manipulated Ashley. It was Ashley who first contacted Evan about the abuse she had suffered," the spokesperson said in a statement, adding, "It's unfortunate that the harassment and threats Ashley received after filing her federal lawsuit appear to have pressured her to change her testimony."
'I hope she goes to jail'
Regardless, the backlash on social media against Wood was swift, with many demanding she be sent to jail. "#EvanRachelWood needs to go to jail for what she has done. The #MeToo movement needs to start calling out these people as they are setting jeopardizing real victims," one tweeted. "What a shocker! Not... She should see jail time for the kind of character assault that she's done to him for the last several years," another wrote.
"The damage Evan Rachel Wood has done to real victims is vast. She's taken us back a decade to a place where we won't be believed because of deranged liars like her. I am so furious. I hope she goes to jail," someone else chimed in. "False accusations should be punished with jail. Evan Rachel wood should be straight to jail now," another insisted.
#EvanRachelWood needs to go to jail for what she has done. The #MeToo movement needs to start calling out these people as they are setting jeopardizing real victims.
— Gareth Craig (@GarethCraig2) February 24, 2023
What a shocker! Not... She should see jail time for the kind of character assault that she's done to him for the last several years.
— James Baysinger 🇺🇸 (@sixxstringmetal) February 23, 2023
The damage Evan Rachel Wood has done to real victims is vast. She's taken us back a decade to a place where we won't be believed because of deranged liars like her. I am so furious. I hope she goes to jail
— Cherry Tree (@bartlett_tree) February 24, 2023
False accusations should be punished with jail. Evan Rachel wood should be straight to jail now #MarilynMansonIsInnocent #EvanRachelWoodIsALiar
— Gio Blush (@GioBlush) February 23, 2023
ASHLEY MORGAN SMITHLINE Goes Back On MARILYN MANSON Accusations, Says EVAN RACHEL WOOD "Manipulated" Her https://t.co/1tQUcVKgFg
What did Ashley Smithline say?
In May 2021, Smithline accused Manson of sexual assault, human trafficking and unlawful imprisonment in a cover story for People. A year later, Manson filed a lawsuit against Wood for defamation, emotional distress and "impersonation over the internet." The suit accused Wood and her pal, Ilma Gore, of conspiring to vilify Manson as a "rapist and abuser." Wood subsequently denied the allegations in her ex-boyfriend's lawsuit, which also included a claim that she forged a letter from the FBI to coerce other women to take part in her HBO documentary about abuse, titled 'Phoenix Rising', which aired in 2022. Filing an opposition motion, Wood's attorney claimed Manson was trying to silence Wood and had filed his defamation suit as retaliation for her decision to go public with her abuse allegations.
It all began in 2018 when Wood testified to a House Judiciary subcommittee that she had been raped twice, first by an abusive partner and then by a "man in the storage closet of a bar." She did not identify the perps at the hearing. Then, in an Instagram post in 2021, she accused Manson of “grooming me when I was a teenager” and said that he “horrifically abused me for years.” It's important to note that Manson has not been charged with any crime in connection with Wood's allegations.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department submitted a case for review to the DA's office in September following a 19-month investigation by the special victim's unit. However, the prosecutor's office has not offered an update on a decision about whether the singer will be formally charged, NBC News reported.