Lamb of God's Randy Blythe formally indicted

4 December 2012 | 9:51 am | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Czech news outlet Novinky.cz has reported that Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe has officially been indicted for manslaughter in the Czech Republic. The charges stem from a 2010 incident at a Lamb of God concert in the Czech Republic that allegedly resulted in a fan's death.Blythe was arrested and held in Czech prison in June and was released and returned to the U.S. in August. Following this, Blythe released a statement maintaining, "If it is deemed necessary for me to do so, I WILL return to Prague to stand trial. While I maintain my innocence 100%, and will do so steadfastly, I will NOT hide in the United States, safe from extradition and possible prosecution."According to Novinky, the court has three months to set a trial date, or send the case back for additional investigation.Blythe faces five to ten years in prison for the charges.Lamb of God manager Larry Mazer has responded to the news, stating:"After a three month investigation, the prosecutor in the Czech Republic has de...

Czech news outlet Novinky.cz has reported that Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe has officially been indicted for manslaughter in the Czech Republic.


The charges stem from a 2010 incident at a Lamb Of God concert in the Czech Republic that allegedly resulted in a fan's death.


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Blythe was arrested and held in Czech prison in June and was released and returned to the U.S. in August. Following this, Blythe released a statement maintaining, "If it is deemed necessary for me to do so, I WILL return to Prague to stand trial. While I maintain my innocence 100%, and will do so steadfastly, I will NOT hide in the United States, safe from extradition and possible prosecution."


According to Novinky, the court has three months to set a trial date, or send the case back for additional investigation.


Blythe faces five to ten years in prison for the charges.


Lamb of God manager Larry Mazer has responded to the news, stating:


"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."