Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe appeared in court this past Saturday after being arrested and charged for manslaughter. “We have arrested the singer and charged him with the crime of bodily harm of 4th degree and resulting in the death of the fan,” as read in the translated statement from local Prague police. If found guilty, Blythe could remain in prison anywhere from five to 10 years. Bail has been posted for U.S. $200,000, but even with that, Blythe is to remain imprisoned for at least 10 days. Continue reading for more details on the situation.
Petr Fassati, the judge overseeing the proceedings, ruled the singer at flight risk and reported that there may be even more conditions to abide by. For one, Blythe could remain in the Czech Republic, or even worse, leaving and becoming an “internationally-wanted criminal,” according to Metalsucks.com.
For those just tuning in, the incident in question took place May 24, 2010 during the band’s performance at Club Abaton in Prague regarding a fan identified by the press as “Daniel N.” According to the band’s management, The fan “jumped the barricade and rushed Randy during the performance” three separate times. The third time security was unable to reach him in time so Blythe allegedly “pushed him back into the audience,” where he “supposedly fell and hit his head.” The fan died two weeks later “reportedly as a result of the injuries.”
The story continues to develop and everything is still undergoing speculation. Lamb of God’s management has previously stated that they expect the singer to be “fully exonerated” and are also supposedly releasing another statement later this afternoon (July 2).
The rest of the band returned back home to the U.S. on Sunday, July 1. Along with their large fan base (tweeting using the hashtag #FreeRandyBlythe), the band mates await their brother’s return. Mark Morton, guitarist, tweeted: “Flooded with questions about Randy. I truly understand & appreciate your concern. But it would be irresponsible for me to comment on any of it.”
Updated as of Monday, July 9, 2012
As of Monday, July 9, Randy Blythe is still detained in prison in the Czech Republic. After bail was posted six days ago, the hope was that Blythe would be freed by today at the earliest. However, the prosecution feels he is at flight risk and challenged the bail. The complaint was delivered this past Friday, July 6 and was confirmed by spokesperson Štepánka Zenklová. Another bail hearing will be scheduled.
Blythe is “being held with no evidence proving his guilt,” according to post on Metal Injection.
More information will come as the story develops.
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