One of the year’s biggest stories in metal news was that of Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe being arrested on manslaughter charges in connection with the 2010 death of a fan at a Lamb of God concert in Prauge, and after spending five weeks in a Czech Republic jail, Blythe was cleared of all charges.
With months passing by, the metal band had seemingly put the worst behind them, continuing on with their extensive tour schedule across America.
According to Blabbermouth however, via Czech news portal Novinky.cz, the State Attorney’s Office in Prague have officially indicted Randy Blythe on a manslaughter charge, and the court has three months to set a date for the singer’s trial.
In response to the new indictment charges, Lamb of God’s manager Larry Mazer – as Brave Words reports – has issued a statement reading:
After a three month investigation, the prosecutor in the Czech Republic has decided to move forward with an indictment of Randy Blythe on the charge of manslaughter with intent to cause bodily harm. Obviously, we intend to fight vigorously against these charges as we feel that in no way did Randy intend to cause bodily harm on the young fan who subsequently died from injuries sustained at the show. As he has stated previously, Randy intends to go to Prague to defend himself at trial.”
The 41-year-old vocalist is facing the possibility of up to a decade-long long-term jail sentence over the 2010 incident, in which 19-year-old Daniel Nosk died a month after a headline concert from the metal group in which he sustained a head injury after rushing the stage several times before being pushed off, later succumbing to a brain haemorrhage.
Blythe was originally arrested at the Prague airport for manslaughter charges on June 27, and even after fronting approximately $US 200,000 – reportedly the equivalent of the metal singer’s annual salary – was denied bail at least twice.
The band and many in the metal community protested Blythe’s innocence, and fan footage from the concert surfaced that showed that Blythe did not touch Nosek, but instead it was unruly fans that had muscled him from the stage – a final 16-hour long court hearing last August also found no evidence connecting the frontman to Nosek’s fatal injury, with the court overruling all protests and clearing him of all charges.
After his release, Blythe told local press: “It’s very tragic that a young man died. I feel very bad that his family has to go through it. I feel awful for them – but it’s a tragic coincidence in my mind.” Blythe also commented on the ongoing stigma that metal music often faces, “to people who are not used to this type of music, I know it must seem crazy and violent. But that sort of activity is normal at a concert. That concert was one of literally thousands I’ve played.”
Additionally, the new statement from Mazer adds:
The price of a ticket to a show does not entitle audience members access to a band’s stage. In the years since the murder on stage of Dimebag Darrell Abbott, performers of all genres have had to become more guarded while performing in response to the dangers presented by fans trying to become part of the performance. We believe that Randy responded professionally to the numerous amount of fans rushing the stage that day, a number of them captured on videos that have been posted on the internet. We have testimony from the venue operator that acknowledges lax security and an improper barricade being used that evening. Numerous testimonies from fans also were contradictory as to the actions of the multiple fans that tried to access the stage.
At this point, all that the band, myself, and our lawyers can do is to present a defense and try to convince the panel of judges who will hear the case that Randy is innocent of all charges and that his name and reputation need to be cleared and that he be permitted to carry on with his life and career always mindful that a fan passed away after a Lamb of God performance.”
With Blythe once more embroiled in the controversial court case, it seems that the long-winded saga is starting all over again.
