‘Girls can rape girls.’ Woman accuses best friend, ‘The Voice’ star, of sexual assault

Former “The Voice” contestant Melanie Martinez has been accused of sexually assaulting her friend.

Timothy Heller, an aspiring singer, wrote her allegations on Twitter against Martinez, who she described as her former “best friend” who took her in.

“I felt like I owed her my life,” she wrote.

Heller accused Martinez, who rose to stardom after she was a contestant on season three of “The Voice,” of being manipulative and selfish, always making things about her even when Heller was at “rock bottom.”

“Her power and control over me grew and grew into me having a very hard time saying no to her,” she said. “I would do almost anything for her.”

Heller said she’s previously been through sexual abuse and is sensitive when it comes to sexual topics, but said Martinez was “increasingly interested in her sexual preferences” and persistent in asking her to have sex with her.

“I said no. For two nights straight. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t resist during the action,” Heller wrote on Twitter. “I had been broken down. She knew I didn’t want to, I made that clear. I didn’t scream at her, I didn’t force her off of me, 1, because I loved her. 2, because I just wanted it to be over.”

“Just so there is no confusion, I was molested by my best friend,” she wrote.

Martinez responded on Twitter saying that she’s “‘horrified’ by the allegations,” and that Heller was her friend who “never said no to what we chose together.”

“Girls can rape girls. Best friends can rape best friends. Friendship doesn’t equal consent,” Heller wrote.

Heller said their friendship fell apart soon after the incident and she has “kept this secret for years” in fear of the response she would get.

“To the public, she could do no wrong,” Heller wrote, describing Martinez’s loyal fan base.

But in light of the recent #metoo movement that has sparked a flood of sexual harassment claims against some of society’s most powerful people, Heller hoped she would be believed, she wrote.

Her tweet received more than 7,000 responses and 72,000 retweets. Many people accused Heller of lying, saying things like “innocent until proven guilty” and “I don’t see proof.”

But many other people came to her support, calling Heller “brave” and “inspiring.”

This story was originally published December 5, 2017 at 6:39 AM with the headline "‘Girls can rape girls.’ Woman accuses best friend, ‘The Voice’ star, of sexual assault."