Lamb Of God Singer Randy Blythe Indicted on Manslaughter Charge

Czech news site Novinky.cz reports that the State Attorney’s Office in Prague, Czech Republic, has officially indicted Lamb Of God vocalist Randy Blythe on the manslaughter charge that led to his imprisonment in the Czech Republic earlier this year.

The decision means the the court has three months to set a date for the singer’s trial or send the case back for further investigation.

The charges stem from Blythe's involved in an on-stage altercation in May 2010 with a fan at Prague's Abaton venue. The fan later died, reportedly of the resultant injuries. Blythe spent 37 days in prison in the Czech Republic this summer. He may be free and on tour in the US, but the case apparently isn't behind him yet.

Blythe faces a possible sentence of five to 10 years, with no time off, if convicted. He has said that he will return to Eastern Europe to face any charges and to clear his name. Stay tuned for updates as we get them.

Update: Lamb of God's manager, Larry Mazer, has issued the following statement in regards to today's news:

"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."