Randy Blythe’s ongoing legal saga has entered a new phase.
As anyone who’s been following this site for the last six months will know, Blythe is the beleaguered lead singer of metal band Lamb Of God. During a stop-off in Prague earlier this year, Blythe was arrested in relation to the death of a 19 year old fan at a previous show in 2010. Czech authorities allege that Blythe had struck the fan in question during an on-stage altercation, causing the concertgoer to fall and sustain fatal injuries. Blythe, unsurprisingly, hotly contested the claims.
The legal wranglings took their toll on the band, with their tour being subsequently cancelled after Blythe was refused bail. Blythe was eventually granted permission to return to the States pending trial, where he vowed to return to the Czech Republic to clear his name.
As Exclaim note, Blythe has now been formally indicted by the Czech authorities. The court has three months leeway to settle on a trial date, or else delay the case even further. Band manager Larry Mazer has issued a lengthy statement in response to the new legal development, which is available to read below:
“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.
“While it is a tragedy that a Lamb of God fan died following a performance by the group, in no way do I feel that Randy did anything improper that led to the young man’s injuries and subsequent death. 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”.
