Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe has been indicted on manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic, stemming from the death of a fan at a 2010 concert in the country.![]( "Hosted by imgur.com")
Blythe, who was arrested at the airport in Prague last summer and spent more than five weeks in a Czech prison while prosecutors debated the amount of his bail, will not have to return to the country to stand trial on charges of "manslaughter with intent to cause bodily harm." The date of his trial has yet to be announced.
In an interview with MTV News after being released, Blythe said that, if prosecutors decided to formally charge him, he would willingly return to the Czech Republic to face his accusers, not just to clear his name, but to bring closure to the family of the fan who died after sustaining injuries at a Lamb of God show in 2010 at Prague's Rock Cafe.
"I feel that it's the right thing for me to do, to go back and face trial. I won't be extradited, but ethically I think it's the correct thing for me to do," Blythe said. "So if I start feeling some trepidation about that, I just remind myself that I have to do the right thing ... this poor young man's family deserves some answers.
"I believe that I'm 100-percent innocent ... but I also believe as a responsible and compassionate human being, I should go back and, if necessary, and go to trial and give this young man's family some answers," he continued. "They're suffering greatly, and I'm not interested in [making them suffer more]. I will certainly fight for my freedom, and do everything I can, legally, to maintain that, but I'm also not going to hide when these people are undergoing the worst emotional trauma."
If found guilty of manslaughter, Blythe reportedly faces five-to-10 years in prison. In a statement released to MTV News, Lamb of God's manager Larry Mazer said that the frontman "intend[s] to fight vigorously against these charges," and added that "we feel that in no way did Randy intend to cause bodily harm on the young fan.
"We believe that Randy responded professionally to the numerous amount of fans rushing the stage that day," the statement continued. "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 ... his name and reputation need to be cleared."
Some background on the incident
During a concert which took place on May 24, 2010, in Prague's club Abaton, Blythe was allegedly involved in an incident that resulted in the death of Daniel Nosek, a 19 year old attending fan. According to eyewitness statements cited by online daily newspaper aktuálně.cz, Blythe was chanting "Come on up" in between two songs, which, the newspaper stated, might have been intended to invite applause from the audience, and not a direct invitation to the fan. The newspaper went on to report that the fan tried to climb onto the stage and that he was thrown by the singer from the stage and fell backwards directly on his head. The fan, who was - according to the same newspaper - not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, suffered serious brain trauma, fell into coma, and died weeks later from the injuries he sustained.
Following Blythe's arrest, Tomáš Fiala, a promoter of the concert, said that there was no fight between the fan and Blythe, stating that "it was an unfortunate incident which happened during the concert when someone climbed onto the stage where he was not supposed to be."According to Lamb of God's publicist Adrenaline PR "[the] incident deals with a fan that three times during the concert jumped the barricade and rushed Randy during the performance. It is alleged that the third time, security was not able to reach him and that Randy pushed him back into the audience where supposedly he fell and hit his head."Guitarist Willie Adler said "I can't recall that particular show let alone a fan being beaten on the stage. I think I would've noticed something like that considering the Dime thing."
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In an interview with MTV News after being released, Blythe said that, if prosecutors decided to formally charge him, he would willingly return to the Czech Republic to face his accusers, not just to clear his name, but to bring closure to the family of the fan who died after sustaining injuries at a Lamb of God show in 2010 at Prague's Rock Cafe.
"I feel that it's the right thing for me to do, to go back and face trial. I won't be extradited, but ethically I think it's the correct thing for me to do," Blythe said. "So if I start feeling some trepidation about that, I just remind myself that I have to do the right thing ... this poor young man's family deserves some answers.
"I believe that I'm 100-percent innocent ... but I also believe as a responsible and compassionate human being, I should go back and, if necessary, and go to trial and give this young man's family some answers," he continued. "They're suffering greatly, and I'm not interested in [making them suffer more]. I will certainly fight for my freedom, and do everything I can, legally, to maintain that, but I'm also not going to hide when these people are undergoing the worst emotional trauma."
If found guilty of manslaughter, Blythe reportedly faces five-to-10 years in prison. In a statement released to MTV News, Lamb of God's manager Larry Mazer said that the frontman "intend[s] to fight vigorously against these charges," and added that "we feel that in no way did Randy intend to cause bodily harm on the young fan.
"We believe that Randy responded professionally to the numerous amount of fans rushing the stage that day," the statement continued. "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 ... his name and reputation need to be cleared."
Some background on the incident
During a concert which took place on May 24, 2010, in Prague's club Abaton, Blythe was allegedly involved in an incident that resulted in the death of Daniel Nosek, a 19 year old attending fan. According to eyewitness statements cited by online daily newspaper aktuálně.cz, Blythe was chanting "Come on up" in between two songs, which, the newspaper stated, might have been intended to invite applause from the audience, and not a direct invitation to the fan. The newspaper went on to report that the fan tried to climb onto the stage and that he was thrown by the singer from the stage and fell backwards directly on his head. The fan, who was - according to the same newspaper - not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, suffered serious brain trauma, fell into coma, and died weeks later from the injuries he sustained.
Following Blythe's arrest, Tomáš Fiala, a promoter of the concert, said that there was no fight between the fan and Blythe, stating that "it was an unfortunate incident which happened during the concert when someone climbed onto the stage where he was not supposed to be."According to Lamb of God's publicist Adrenaline PR "[the] incident deals with a fan that three times during the concert jumped the barricade and rushed Randy during the performance. It is alleged that the third time, security was not able to reach him and that Randy pushed him back into the audience where supposedly he fell and hit his head."Guitarist Willie Adler said "I can't recall that particular show let alone a fan being beaten on the stage. I think I would've noticed something like that considering the Dime thing."
Source Source 2