Marilyn Manson has officially entered a plea of not guilty on charges of simple assault stemming from a 2019 incident in New Hampshire. Despite the shock rocker’s plea, it does little to help both his cause and life as he currently faces intensive backlash from both this incident as well as many other incidents involving women. Marilyn Manson aka Brian Warner faces charges of up to two counts of misdemeanor simple assault following an incident at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford during Manson’s “Hell Never Dies” tour with Rob Zombie. The incident involves Manson spitting on a videographer who was in the pit filming the performance. Videographer Susan Fountain attended the performance and recorded in the stage pit for Metronome Media, who were contracted by the venue for the concert season. Her affidavit claimed Manson veered his face towards her camera and spit a “big lougee” at both her and the camera. It was also alleged that Manson returned for a second time as he covered one of his nostrils and blew snot in Fountain’s direction. Disgusted and appalled, Fountain took action and decided to press charges against the artist in hopes of reparations and justice. 

Warner could potentially face a jail sentence of up to one year as well as a $2,000 fine. Manson denies the allegation but continues to cooperate and abide by the terms set following his submission to Los Angeles police for the outstanding New Hampshire arrest warrant made public in August 2019. Manson’s lawyer, Howard King also made a statement on the artist’s behalf. “It is no secret to anyone who has attended a Marilyn Manson concert that he likes to be provocative on stage, especially in front of a camera,” King said. “This misdemeanor claim was pursued after we received a demand from a venue videographer for more than $35,000 after a small amount of spit came into contact with their arm. After we asked for evidence of any alleged damages, we never received a reply. This whole claim is ludicrous, but we remain committed to cooperating with authorities, as we have done throughout.” 

However, the evidence would seem to contradict King’s statement, with an affidavit carefully and precisely explaining the situation, followed by multiple witness testimony and a TMZ video. Three of the concert attendees, as well as a security guard, told People magazine they saw Manson spit and “shoot his snot” toward the camerawoman. “He was spitting everywhere, and one time it got on her camera so she wiped it off and looked semi-irritated. He noticed this and kept purposely spitting on her camera,” adding,”I think her final straw is he got on the floor, got within 2-3 feet of her and hacked a giant snot rocket at her, not the camera. She was pissed off and disgusted so she stormed off, and he just laughed.”

Another attendee noted that he “bent down to shoot his snot all over this woman. I can remember him just laughing about what he did.”

The security guard also claimed that, “He spit on her a couple of times and then leaned real close to the camera and blew a huge snot rocket on her. After he did that, she almost threw her camera right down on the ground.” 

A recorded video brought by TMZ shows Manson’s face on a large screen as saliva is shot out the singer’s mouth onto the camera, with Manson walking abruptly away in the process. 

Alongside the New Hampshire incident, Manson also faces allegations of sexual harassment, assault, and rape from multiple women. In February, actor Evan Rachel Wood became the first victim to identify Manson as her alleged attacker, leading the way for other women such as “Game of Thrones” star Esme Bianco, who sued Manson in Los Angeles for physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. This was followed by various and grotesque allegations that continue to plague the rocker. Following the allegation, Manson was soon dropped from his label, Loma Vista Records, while also losing his manager in the aftermath. 

Many fans, such as myself, are curious to see the kind of fight Manson is willing to throw down in court. It’s interesting to see the various amounts of evidence presented despite Manson pleading not guilty. Manson will need a strong defense to prove the musician’s innocence, such as credible evidence that supports the artist’s interpretation of the situation, along with conclusive testimony and video evidence. What fight will be presented? And will it lead to victory in the end? 

A case status hearing is scheduled to take place on Dec. 27 as the situation is still pending, and a decision is yet to be reached.

Additional Info:

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9624185/not-guilty-plea-marilyn-manson-misdemeanor/

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/marilyn-manson-pleads-not-guilty-to-charges-of-assault-in-new-hampshire/