Melanie Martinez Denies Timothy Heller's Rape Accusations Again

Last week, the singer alleged that the former Voice contestant, musician and her former friend sexually assaulted her

By Corinne Heller Dec 11, 2017 12:38 PMTags

Melanie Martinez says she "would never be intimate with someone without their absolute consent," marking her second public denial to an accusation of rape.

Last week, singer Timothy Heller alleged that the former Voice contestant, musician and her former friend sexually assaulted her. Since then, many fans have expressed support for the accuser and have condemned Martinez. Others have stood by her side.

"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 on Twitter on Saturday evening. "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."

"I trusted so many people in my life who took advantage of that trust for their own personal gain," she said. "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."

Heller did not respond directly to Martinez's remarks. About an hour after the tweet was posted, Heller wrote on her Twitter page, "This is why victims don't speak up. I wouldn't wish this upon anyone."

After Heller had made her accusation on Twitter, Martinez had soon responded, saying, "I am horrified and saddened by the statements and story" and that "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. 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 also stated, "She never said no to what we chose to do together. And although we parted ways, I am sending her love and light always."

In an interview with Newsweek published the following day, Heller said Martinez pressured her into sexual contact in 2015 and that because of their friendship, she was wracked with guilt for years after that night.

"We remained friends for a while, but it was strange, obviously. I think I was invalidating my own experience for so long because she's not a man," Heller said. "Plus, she was my friend, and I sat with what happened in silence because I didn't want to be malicious."

Martinez's fans "see her as this angel who understands them" and that she assumed no one would take her seriously she she "explained what she did," adding, "I've been reading all the #metoo stories, and though I'm obviously in support of the people coming forward, I wasn't sure if my story of being assaulted fit."

"People don't really talk about this," Heller said. "But I know now that assault happens this way all the time. I loved her even after it happened, and I had this sick need to protect her, which I've learned is very common for victims of assault, especially those hurt by their family or friends."

In an interview with TheFreshCommittee.com, posted a day later, Heller said, "I was in denial for a long time that my friend did this to me. I really loved her! So part of me was still protecting her. I didn't do this to hurt her. But I decided to name her based on what her fanbase is like. These are young children, who were looking up to her as someone who is there for them with their struggles with mental illness and depression. As someone who struggles with mental illness first hand, I felt that I could no longer stay quiet about this. I know that now a lot of them are in denial and are choosing to not believe me, but I was in the same type of denial. I loved her too."