Melanie Martinez, The Voice alum, accused of sexual assault by Timothy Heller
The singer, known by many for songs like “Carousel” and for being a former contestant on NBC’s The Voice, was accused of sexual assault on Twitter tonight by her former friend Timothy Heller, who accused her of performing unwanted sexual acts. You can read the full thread over at the link here, but be warned in advance that it contains pretty explicit descriptions of what allegedly happened between the two. Heller described Martinez in the post as “my best friend. She took me in, which I was so grateful for. I felt like I owed her my life.” Then, the incident in question unfolded following that.
Martinez herself has yet to respond to the allegations by Heller — in general she is not extremely active on social media, with the most-recent post from her Twitter coming in late September. In the time since the story first surfaced online she has started to trend worldwide with a number of fans expressing outrage and horror at the news. Many have posted videos already of themselves destroying Martinez-related merchandise.
Martinez first appeared on The Voice during season 3, and was a part of Team Adam Levine during her time on the series. She had a number of popular covers during her time there and is one of the few former contestants to really make a name for herself on the indie music scene.
Heller’s story comes within the midst of the #MeToo movement in which many women and men have expressed stories about sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. Heller has said that seeing some other stories across the internet has inspired her to come forward with her own, difficult as it may be given that often alleged victims are blamed or even attacked for their stories.
We will have more news on the story as it becomes available. For now, you can share your thoughts on the subject below — though please be respectful as this is a sensitive subject. (Photo: NBC.)
Update: Martinez has since shared a statement, denying Heller’s allegations and saying that the two were together in a consensual way.