Content warning: This story includes descriptions of alleged sexual abuse that may be distressing to some readers.
Sexual assault allegations made against actor Armie Hammer have been dropped following a long investigation by Los Angeles Police.
The investigation into the sexual assault allegations was first launched in early 2021, following accusations made by a woman who was identified by her attorney at the time as Effie. She alleged that, over the course of an on-and-off relationship with Hammer, he had been physically abusive and had violently raped her in 2017.
In a March 2021 press conference, Effie detailed her allegations of emotional and sexual abuse, saying "I thought he was going to kill me."
However, the LA District Attorney's Office told CNN this week that, while prosecutors conducted an "extremely thorough review" there is "insufficient evidence" to charge Hammer with a crime.
Speaking to CNN, Effie said that she was disappointed with the decision and she "felt a duty to speak out and file a report in order to try and hold Armie accountable for all the harm and trauma he has cause me and in order to protect other women from experiencing similar abuse."
Hammer has maintained that all of his interactions with Effie and other sexual partners have been consensual and he released a statement on Instagram saying, "I am very grateful to the District Attorney for conducting a thorough investigation and coming to the conclusion that I have stood by this entire time, that no crime was committed."
Where did this all start?
In January 2021, news began circling about actor Armie Hammer's alleged sexual and emotional abuse of several women.
It began with screenshots of text messages between Hammer and Effie, who released the pictures on her Instagram account, House of Effie. In the messages, Hammer spoke about drinking blood, performing graphic sex acts and committing cannibalism.
"I need to drink your blood," one message read.
In a conversation with another woman, he admitted he wanted to "cut off" one of the person's toes and "keep it" in his pocket.
"You just live to obey and be my slave," he wrote. "I will own you. That's my soul. My brain. My spirit. My body. Will you come and be my property [until] you die?"
Watch the trailer for House of Hammer. Story continues below.
Model Paige Lorenze sat down for an interview with KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O later that month, where she discussed having a Thanksgiving dinner with Hammer and his mother in 2020.
"His mother was speaking to me about how she felt like, at times, he was like, stuff with the devil, she felt like he was being taken by… she was concerned about it," Lorenze said.
"I think that his family knew that he has these sick kinds of tendencies."
Courtney Vucekovich, who was involved with Hammer for several months, appeared in the documentary House of Hammer to discuss her relationship with the embattled actor.
She recounted an incident where Hammer stopped by her apartment when she wasn't there and took photos of the building. He told her he was "trying to find your scent." He also left a note which read, "I'm going to bite the f**k out of you."
After the allegations of abuse exploded, Hammer went quiet. His Twitter account disappeared and he settled quietly into a new life in the Cayman Islands, where his ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers and their two children live.
But this week, in a lengthy interview with Air Mail, Hammer directly addressed the allegations for the first time.
Hammer says his own sexual abuse led to an interest in BDSM.
The actor revealed the traumatic experience of being sexually abused by a youth pastor as 13 years old was the reason behind his own fantasies and behaviour later on in life.
"What that did for me was it introduced sexuality into my life in a way that it was completely out of my control. I was powerless in the situation. I had no agency in the situation," Hammer, the great-grandson of oil tycoon Armand Hammer, said.
"Sexuality was introduced to me in a scary way where I had no control. My interests then went to: I want to have control in the situation, sexually."
Hammer admitted he was 'emotionally abusive'.
While Hammer denied any criminal wrongdoing [an investigation by the LAPD is ongoing], he admitted to being emotionally abusive towards his former partners.
"I would have these younger women in their mid-20s, and I’m in my 30s. I was a successful actor at the time. They could have been happy to just be with me and would have said yes to things that maybe they wouldn’t have said yes to on their own. That’s an imbalance of power in the situation," he said.
"I would scoop up these women, bring them into it – into this whirlwind of travel and sex and drugs and big emotions flying around – and then as soon as I was done, I'd just drop them off and move on to the next woman, leaving that woman feeling abandoned or used."
He told Air Mail he wanted to "own my mistakes, take accountability for the fact that I was an a**hole, that I was selfish, that I used people to make me feel better, and when I was done, moved on."
Hammer says he was suicidal following the allegations against him.
Due to the fallout, Hammer admitted he contemplated suicide.
"I just walked out into the ocean and swam out as far as I could and hoped that either I drowned, or was hit by a boat, or eaten by a shark," he said.
"Then I realised that my kids were still on shore, and that I couldn’t do that to my kids."
Hammer told Air Mail he’s finding purpose by being a sober companion to a fellow recovering addict he recently met through his own sobriety journey.
"I’m going to move in with him and live with him, get him on a healthy routine, get him into a good schedule of [recovery] meetings, take him to the gym, cook healthy food for him," he said. "It feels like my recovery has taken a turn from me being the one who needs help staying sober, to me being able to help others."
The actor said he is now healthier and happier. "I'm truly grateful for my life and my recovery and everything. I would not go back and undo everything that’s happened to me."
If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. It doesn’t matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home.
Feature Image: Getty.
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