It has undoubtably been a stressful week for Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe. He is currently standing trial on charges of manslaughter stemming from a 2010 concert in Prague, where the prosecution alleges he pushed a fan, Daniel Nosek, and Nosek sustained injuries from that push which led to his death a month later.
The trial was ongoing for the entire week and is currently adjourned until March. Here is a recap of the events of this week:
This past summer, Blythe was detained in a Czech prison for 5 weeks. It would've been longer, but due to all the publicity, Blythe got out after putting up $400,000 in bail money. He promised to return to Prague for the trial and so he did, and the trial kicked off this past Monday, February 4th, 2013. Any footage released from the show does not show the incident.
Day 1
Before the trial, Blythe posted the photo to the left on Instagram with the caption "And so it begins. I am calm & prepared. Everyone, thanks for your good thoughts and prayers. Have a nice day, y'all!"
Blythe wasn't the only Lamb of God member in the courtroom, he was joined by drummer Chris Adler, as well as his manager Larry Mazer. Both Mazer and Alder testified as character witnesses, saying that the "aggression" Blythe shows on stage is all a show whereas off the stage, Blythe is calm, gentle and well-read.
Blythe also testified saying he did not recall coming in contact with Nosek, and says it's very hard for him to see on stage because he performs without his glasses, and normally just sees silhouettes on stage. While Blythe did not recall pushing Nosek off the stage, he recalled grabbing a separate fan, Milan Pořánek and telling him to get off the stage and that he is not welcome.
Read our full report from day 1 of the trial.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mABFl01ajcY[/youtube]
Day 2
Eight eyewitnesses took the stand, with one describing Blythe's demeanor on stage as being "extremely aggressive." Friends of Nosek testified with some contradictions. One claimed he absolutely saw Blythe push Nosek off stage. Another fan said Randy left the stage, only to run back once Nosek got on the stage to push him off. Many eyewitnesses strugged to remember a concert that happened nearly three years ago. And when some eyewitnesses tried to claim several incidents happened in the first half of the show, Blythe's defense challenged the assertion saying video evidence does not prove that to be true.
Read our full report from Day 2.
Day 3
Before the trial is set to resume, Blythe posts a few photos to Instagram, with in-depth statements on his current feelings. He says that he read some internet reports and to not believe what is being reported, because a lot of is inaccurate, getting lost in translation, seeing as though all many of us internet reporters have to go on is Czech reports translated by Google. Blythe also asked fans not to blame the country of the Czech Republic as a whole, as it is a beautiful place. His statement is worth a read.
Back in court, more eyewitnesses took the stand, this time defending Blythe. Milan Poránek, who Blythe admitted to pushing off the stage in his testimony, confirmed that Blythe pushed him off stage but said Blythe was completely justified in doing so due to his drunk behavior. Another female fan took the stand to refuse the "extremely aggressive " saying metal bands always try to look serious on stage.
It was at this point, that we learned that the trial would not conclude at the end of the week but would be delayed due to a key defense witnesse being unavailable for testimony due to sickness at present time. The trial would resume on March 4th, with Blythe allowed to return to the States. Blythe promised, again, to return to the Czech Republic to continue trial.
Read our full report from Day 3 here.
Day 4
The final day of the trial until March 4th lasted only 45 minutes as one witness took the stand, Lukas Havlena, who said he reached out to to Blythe's legal team after reading online reports putting down Blythe for his "aggressive" behavoir on stage. Havlena testified that the reports were grossly exaggerated and that Blythe was not acting aggressive, and fans who thought so need to realize it was part of the show.
Before court adjurned, the judges in the trial announced that it wasn't just a key defense witness who was causing the delay, but two criminal psychologists who were unavailable currently that would be testifying once court is back in session.
Read our full report from Day 4
At this point, Randy Blythe is free to return to the States until the trial resumes next month. Blythe is facing a potential sentence of 10 years in prison, and the family of Nosek are seeking $530,000 in damages.
We'll keep you posted with any further info.
