Melanie Martinez Again Calls Sexual Assault Allegations ‘False’ in New Statement
Singer Melanie Martinez is doubling down on her denial of the recent sexual assault allegations leveled against her by a former friend.
The Voice alumna, 22, released a second statement via Twitter on Saturday regarding Timothy Heller’s claims that she was raped by Martinez.
“I understand how hard it could be to see my side of the story, considering no one with a heart would want to invalidate anyone speaking up about this topic,” Martinez wrote. “I want to thank my fans who took the time to research the timeline, analyze past Instagram photos, and question the story being told, which reveal her false statements.”
She added, “I trusted so many people in my life who took advantage of that trust for their own personal gain. Please know that my intentions with everything that I do in my life are always pure and I would never be intimate with someone without their absolute consent.”
— CRYBABY (@MelanieLBBH) December 10, 2017
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Over the weekend, Heller took to Twitter after being flooded with messages defending Martinez.
“This is why victims don’t speak up,” she wrote. “I wouldn’t wish this upon anyone.”
This is why victims don’t speak up. I wouldn’t wish this upon anyone.
— Timothy Heller (@timethyheller) December 10, 2017
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“I have been keeping this secret for a long time. It took a lot of preparation for me to get enough strength to actually let people know,” Heller told The Fresh Committee after speaking out. “I go to weekly therapy and my therapist has been so immensely helpful. I struggled for a while with feelings of guilt, and how her fans would see me, and I decided this was too important to be quiet about.”
The aspiring singer continued, “I think mental health awareness is so important and I decided to take this as an opportunity to reach victims that have gone through similar things that I did.”
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In a lengthy story shared to Twitter on Monday, Heller accused Martinez of getting her high on marijuana before forcefully performing oral sex and using a sex toy on her. Heller also said she repeatedly refused Martinez’s propositions over the course of a two-night “sleepover,” using excuses such as that her boyfriend would be mad or that she was tired.
“I never said yes. I said no, repeatedly,” Heller wrote. “But she used her power over me, and broke me down. Just so there is no confusion, I was molested by my best friend.”
Heller stated that she was coming forward with her story in the wake of the numerous sexual misconduct allegations gripping Hollywood in recent months.
“The only reason I do this now is because I’m hoping because of recent events, people will believe me,” she wrote. “Girls can rape girls. Best friends can rape best friends. Friendship doesn’t equal consent. Silence doesn’t equal consent.”
When I wrote this story about my assault, I initially wasn’t going to make the abuser. But I think it’s important for you all to know this is about Melanie Martinez pic.twitter.com/4PQ5oNI2s9
— Timothy Heller (@timethyheller) December 4, 2017
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— CRYBABY (@MelanieLBBH) December 5, 2017
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Martinez, who competed on Team Adam Levine in season 3 of The Voice, responded to the allegations in a tweet of her own, claiming the acts were consensual.
“I am horrified and saddened by the statements and story told tonight by Timothy Heller,” the singer said. “What she and I shared was a close friendship for a period of time. We came into each other’s lives as we were both starting our careers as artists, and we tried to help each other.”
She continued, “We both had pain in dealing with our individual demons and the new paths we were forging, but I truly felt we were trying to lift each other up. She never said no to what we chose to do together. And although we parted ways, I am sending her love and light always.”