Randy Blythe manslaughter case

[2] When the band returned to the Czech Republic for another concert two years later, its vocalist Randy Blythe was arrested,[3] charged with causing Nosek's death,[3][4] and remanded in custody for five weeks.

[5] According to a verdict delivered by the Municipal Court in Prague on March 5, 2013, it was proven that Blythe had thrown Nosek offstage and thus had moral responsibility for his death.

That happens every single day [at Lamb of God shows].During a concert on May 24, 2010, in the Prague club, Abaton, Blythe was involved in an incident that resulted in the death of Daniel Nosek,[2] a 19-year-old attending fan.

[10] According to the same paper, Nosek was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, suffered serious brain trauma, fell into a coma, and died weeks later from his injuries.

[11][12] A report about the concert at issue released on May 26, 2010 by topzine.cz stated that "one of the things that was unexpected was the behavior of the singer Randall Blythe, who on a few occasions struck some fans in a relatively brutal way off the stage."

[13] Meanwhile, another report released two days after the concert by metalopolis.net alleged that "Randy in a totally uncompromising way took down an impertinent fan, who has climbed the podium several times.

The front-man clearly showed that it is his territory, he struck the intruder down, punched him a couple of times and sent him through the air off the podium, without even stopping singing (!

"[4] According to the Lamb of God publicist Adrenaline PR, "[the] incident deals with a fan that three times during the concert jumped the barricade and rushed Randy during the performance.

"[18] According to Blythe's attorney Martin Radvan, the police launched an investigation following the death of Nosek, about a month after the concert and following a coma.

After interviewing several eyewitnesses from the concert, the police asked the United States Department of Justice to take part in the investigation; however, they refused to cooperate and, moreover, did not notify anyone from Lamb of God or its management.

[3] Lamb of God was prepared to play in Prague on June 28, 2012, but Blythe's arrest upon arrival at Ruzyně Airport caused the concert to be canceled.

[45] He also tried a case against Andranik Soghojan, an alleged head of Russian mafia, requesting 25 years in prison for ordering a murder.

His prosecution became one of the longest criminal cases in the Czech history, as the witnesses and alleged victims gradually withdrew or changed their testimonies against Uzunoglu until he was exonerated by the Municipal Court in Prague in 2007.

[52] Jablonský also acted as a defense attorney in the case of a hairdresser of Czech VIPs indicted on charges of rape and torture.

During the proceedings, the judge sent Jablonský to face the disciplinary commission of the Czech bar association for what he perceived as "behaviour bordering on contempt".

[17] One of the fans, who was identified as Milan Pořádek[1] by Czech newspapers, and who was scheduled to testify later during the proceedings, managed to climb the stage twice without being stopped by security.

[17] Blythe, who according to his own words perceived this as a danger, caught Pořádek's collar, pushed him on the ground, knelt on him and repeatedly told him to stop.

[17] Jiří Choroš, author of video which caught the previous incidents with Pořádek, testified that the fan was for a moment lying on the ground with nobody helping him.

[17] The defense also presented videos from various Lamb of God concerts in order to demonstrate that metal music is very energetic and that Blythe regularly cheers to the crowd, but not to encourage people to climb the stage.

Nosek and three friends had come to attend the concert from Vrchlabí, a town in mountains some 130 kilometres (81 mi) northeast of Prague.

They described Nosek as a huge fan of Lamb of God who had been able to secure an autograph from a guitar player before the concert had started.

[60] Nosek began vomiting about half an hour after the fall and as his friends realized that he had a bulge at the back of his head, they called an ambulance for fear he might have a concussion.

[63] The court further heard that Lamb of God had sent a list of security demands to the concert venue, including that barriers should be placed 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) from the stage.

[65] Lukáš Havlena contacted the defense after reading about the trial in newspapers because he "didn't like the description of the situation" by the previous witnesses.

[65] Havlena had trouble recalling details from the show, as he had visited multiple concerts on other dates in Abaton, and thus could not describe, among other things, the position of the guardrail.

Blythe returned to attend the hearings in person, even though the presiding judge had told him that at this point they may be undertaken in his absence.

[6] In his closing speech, the State Attorney asked the court to incarcerate Blythe for 5 years,[6] claiming that "even children in the kindergarten are aware that a fall from height may lead to an injury.

[6] On March 5, 2013, the court delivered a verdict, according to which Blythe was not criminally liable for Nosek's death, even though he had the moral responsibility for it.

This stuff could have all been worked out diplomatically or legally before he got there.”[79] In addition to Brockie, other notable figures in heavy metal, such as Tom Araya[80] and David Draiman,[81] have also come out in support of Blythe.

In a post to his blog, Blythe explained that he met the Nosek family in private after the trial, and promised them to be "a spokesperson for safer shows".

Street Na Košince in front of club Abaton (the white building in the back)
Justice compound Na Mičánkách , the seat of Prague 8 district court which was deciding on Blythe's remand and bail
State Attorney Vladimír Mužík (right)
Prague Municipal Court, which was ruling on appeal against the bail and which is the first instance court for Blythe's case
Courtroom list
Courtroom 101 of Municipal Court in Prague
A witness testifying on 6 February 2013 in front of the panel of three judges (presiding judge Tomáš Kubovec in the middle)
Randy Blythe with his defense team
High Court in Prague upheld Blythe's acquittal. The court building is connected to Pankrác Prison , where Blythe had spent 5 weeks on remand, by a tunnel .