Posts Tagged ‘district-court’

Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe Receives Date for Czech Manslaughter Trial

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Two weeks ago, we reported that Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe was officially indicted on manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic. It is now being reported that Blythe will stand trial for the controversial charges on Feb. 4, 2013. Upon being indicted, the Prague 8 District Court had two decisions they could have made. The court had three months to either delay the trial in order to continue the collection of evidence, or set an official date. That decision has now been made and Blythe will begin legal proceedings on Feb. 4. “We have issued Randy Blythe with a court summons, and he is obliged to attend the hearing in person,” said court spokeswoman Martina Lhotáková  [ via Prague Post ]. “The trial will determine the culpability of Blythe and his potential punishment.” Blythe has stated that although he could easily hide out in the United States to avoid court proceedings, he will cooperate with the Czech legal system. The vocalist was jailed for over a month earlier this year on accusations of manslaughter after a fan died from head injuries supposedly sustained at a Lamb of God show in 2010. “I want my name cleared,” Blythe stated in a recent interview . “I have to go around the world and tour, you know? That’s what I do. I’m not going to hide here. I’m an innocent man. I’m going to go to court and see what happens.” According to Lhotáková, Blythe’s Czech trial is expected to last four days. Although the date has officially been set, the court still has the option of sending the case back to the prosecutor and police for further investigation. Stay tuned for more news as it breaks. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/lamb-of-god-manager-responds-randy-blythe-czech-republic-indictment/” title=”Next: Lamb of God’s Manager Responds to Randy Blythe’s Indictment” align=”center”]

Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe Officially Indicted on Manslaughter Charges in Czech Republic

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe has been out of Czech prison since Aug. 2. Although back home here in the United States and free to tour nationally, the next step of Blythe’s criminal proceedings has been put into effect. The State Attorney’s Office in Prague officially indicted Blythe on manslaughter charges on Friday, Nov. 30, which means that Blythe will likely stand trial in the near future. According to Czech news source Novinky.cz , the District Court now has three months to either set a trial date or to delay the hearing in lieu of further investigation. If convicted of manslaughter as a result of his future trial, Randy Blythe could face 5-10 years in prison. Blythe has publicly stated that he will not hide out in the United States if summoned for a trial in the Czech Republic, despite the potentially horrific outcome. “I feel ethically responsible to go back there and face this charge,” declared Blythe in a recent interview  with WTVR in his hometown of Richmond, V. “[The victim’s] family right now is in a lot of pain, and they deserve some answers. To lose a child is the worst possible thing a human can go through. I want my name cleared. I have to go around the world and tour, you know? That’s what I do. I’m not going to hide here. I’m an innocent man. I’m going to go to court and see what happens.” The controversial arrest of Randy Blythe stems from an incident in which a man died nearly a month after he sustained a head injury following an apparent stage fall while attending a Lamb of God concert in the Czech Republic in 2010. Video of the incident has been posted online, although there have been questions as to whether or not the man shown in the footage is in fact the deceased fan. Blythe spent five weeks in a Czech prison over the summer as several legal proceedings delayed his release on bail. Update: Lamb of God’s manager has issued a lengthy response to the news of Randy Blythe’s indictment. Click below to see his entire statement: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/lamb-of-god-manager-responds-randy-blythe-czech-republic-indictment/” title=”Lamb of God’s Manager Responds to Randy Blythe’s Indictment” align=”center”]