‘The Voice’ Singer Responds to Accusations of Sexually Assaulting Friend at Sleepover

Former The Voice contestant Melanie Martinez was accused of sexual assault and rape by her former friend, female musician Timothy Heller, on Twitter on Monday, and Martinez has responded to the allegations with an emphatic denial.

Martinez shared a statement on Twitter Tuesday, writing, “I am horrified and saddened by the statements and story told tonight by Timothy Heller. What she and I shared was a close friendship for a period of time.”

The singer added that Heller “never said no” to what the pair chose to do together and that she is sending Heller “love and light always.”

Heller had accused Martinez, who was a finalist on The Voice in 2012, of sexually assaulting and raping her during a sleepover. The musician wrote that sharing her story “terrifies” her, adding that Martinez was her best friend who “took me in,” although their relationship grew into one where Martinez held power over Heller that made it hard for her to say no to Martinez.

The post claimed that during a sleepover one night, Martinez asked Heller about her sexual orientation, continually asking whether Heller would have sex with her. Heller alleges that she “repeatedly said no,” but that the next night “went the exact same way.”

Heller alleges that Martinez allegedly performed oral sex on her and used a sex toy on her without consent.

“The bottom line that I need to always remind myself is that: I said no,” she wrote. “For TWO NIGHTS STRAIGHT. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t resist during the action. I had been broken down. She knew I didn’t want to, I made that clear.”

“Silence doesn’t equal consent,” she concluded. “I wish it wasn’t so hard for me to convince myself of these things.”

Photo Credit: Twitter / @MelanieLBBH