The Los Angeles District Attorney has announced it will not charge actor Armie Hammer with sexual assault, due to a lack of evidence. Prosecutors reviewed the case following a 2021 investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Director of the Bureau of Communications Tiffany Blacknell said:
“Sexual assault cases are often difficult to prove, which is why we assign our most experienced prosecutors to review them. In this case, those prosecutors conducted an extremely thorough review, but determined that at this time, there is insufficient evidence to charge Mr. Hammer with a crime.”
In previous years, Hammer commented publicly on his obsession with tying knots and acting dominant in the bedroom. But in 2020, his habits were under the microscope again when he sent a tawdry text to his wife that apparently was meant for someone else. His wife filed for divorce soon after, but things got even worse when an Instagram user posted dozens of screenshots where Hammer claimed to be a “cannibal” that wanted to drink her blood and ingest her organs.
In 2021, Effie Angelova came forward and accused the Social Network actor of “violently” raping her in 2017, which launched the LAPD investigation.
Blacknell elaborated on the LA District Attorney’s decision, saying:
As prosecutors, we have an ethical responsibility to only charge cases that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. We know that it is hard for women to report sexual assault. Even when we cannot move forward with a prosecution, our victim service representatives will be available to those who seek our victim support services. Due to the complexity of the relationship and inability to prove a non-consensual, forcible sexual encounter we are unable to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” she added.
Hammer released a statement on Instagram thanking the LA District Attorney and noting that he’s “grateful” for “a thorough investigation” that came “to the conclusion that I have stood by this entire time, that no crime was committed.” Hammer added, “I look forward to beginning what will be a long, difficult process of putting my life back together now that my name is cleared.”
Sure, Hammer’s not facing jail time anymore, but he still has an aunt who claims he and the rest of the men in his family are generationally abusive. He’s still the subject of a documentary that contains voice messages and texts of him repeatedly telling women he wants to use them in degrading ways. Maybe none of that’s illegal, but he shouldn’t count on being cast in an Oscar-worthy movie anytime soon.
If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.