Randy Blythe is coming home. The Lamb Of God vocalist has been in the Czech Republic for the past several weeks, appearing before a court to determine his guilt in a manslaughter case stemming from the death of a fan after a Lamb Of God concert in Prague on May 24, 2010.
Randy Blythe is coming home. The Lamb Of God vocalist has been in the Czech Republic for the past several weeks, appearing before a court to determine his guilt in a manslaughter case stemming from the death of a fan after a Lamb Of God concert in Prague on May 24, 2010. Today, as reported by Brian Kenety of Rolling Stone, a panel of judges ruled that concert promoters and lax security were at fault in the death of 19 year old Czech fan Daniel Nosek. The Czech state attorney appealed the decision, but as of right now, Randy is free to go.
Blythe’s ordeal began on June 28, 2012, when he was arrested by Czech authorities at a venue where Lamb Of God were scheduled to play that evening. Confined to prison in the Czech Republic for the next two months while bail was determined, Blythe was finally released in early August of 2012. At that time, he pledged to return to the Czech Republic and stand trial for any crimes he was eventually charged with. Expressing sympathy for the family of the deceased, he nonetheless maintained his innocence and expressed a desire to clear his name in court rather than “hid[ing] in the United States, safe from extradition and possible prosecution.”
Blythe returned to Prague a month ago to stand trial, but after only a week, the trial was delayed for nearly a month, resuming yesterday. At the end of yesterday’s proceedings, the three-judge panel stated that they would deliver a verdict today. As reported by Rolling Stone, testimony by an expert in biomechanics pointed out that the results of Daniel Nosek’s injury-causing fall were inconsistent with testimony given by witnesses claiming that Blythe had pushed him from the stage. Said witness testimony apparently contained several internal inconsistencies, further weakening the prosecution’s case.
After delivering the verdict, presiding judge Tomas Kubovec stated that Nosek’s family should seek the $500,000 in damages they’d requested from the concert’s promoters. Blythe expressed sincere condolences to the family, stating “I can understand that pain as only the father of a dead child can.”
After his release, Blythe declined to speak to press. However, he did post a photo (shown at top) to his Instagram account, with the caption “I have been found not guilty & acquitted of all charges against me. I am a free man. This photo was taken by my friend @aceyslade– it says it all. Please remember the family of Daniel Nosek in your thoughts & prayers in this difficult time. I only wish for them peace. Thank you for your support- Randy”
