Death metal band Pyrexia have been relatively inactive as of late, and it looks like they're about to go on extended hiatus. Frontman Erik Shute was apprehended by New Jersey police yesterday after an eight-hour manhunt.
Reports state that Shute ambushed three men in a wooded area near Morgan County, West Virginia's Cacapon Resort State Park. Shute apparently filed property disputes agains these three men in the past, and was enraged that they were clearing firewood near his property. It is unknown what exactly happened next, but the three men were shot and killed by Shute.
According to NJ.com, Shute claimed in a Facebook post that the shooting was in self-defense. He also claimed the men stole from him and threatened him. According to WSAZ, another victim was able to get away and claims Shute ambushed them:
Investigators say the three men were shot while clearing wood and debris from a roadway adjacent to Shute's property. They say he brought the property as a place for a weekend home and was believed to be building a compound.
Sheriff Shambaugh says Shute ambushed the men with a rifle from a wooded area nearby. One victim was able to get away, uninjured.
The WSAZ article notes this is not his first run-in with the law:
Shute, formerly of New Jersey, is reportedly known to New Jersey authorities. Investigators say he was in the middle of a controversy in 2009, where they say he hung a flag upside down as a "signal of distress" for America. They say he claimed the government was corrupt. And in 2011, he was indicted by a grand jury in New Jersey on charged of attacking a police officer and resisting arrest.
Update: We obtained a screenshot of Erik Shute's response to the claims, which has since been deleted off his page:
More info as we get it on this developing story.
Pyrexia, which formed in the early 90s, last toured in 2014, with a stop at Brooklyn's Saint Vitus where our own Frank Huang captured their set:
[youtube]https://youtu.be/-kn-Zt1yQ2c[/youtube]
