7th February 2013
The trial of Lamb Of God front man Randy Blythe has continued over the past two days.
Day two’s proceedings saw three friends of the deceased concertgoer in question give testimony in regards to Blythe‘s behavior at the concert, at which they were also in attendance. Their conflicting testimony is said to have painted Blythe in aggressive light; asserting that he kicked a fan onstage and forcibly restrained another. At least one of the witnesses in particular testified that Blythe pushed the deceased, 19 year old Daniel Nosek, off the stage; causing the fatal head injury which ultimately led to his death. Blythe was also said to have asked from the stage if a previous concertgoer who fell from the stage was alright and when told yes, continued the concert. At one point Blythe also challenged one of the witnesses testimony citing video proof that refuted his claims. While the witnesses disputed claims that they were instructed by the venue not to approach the stage, they did seem to agree that security exerted little effort from stopping them—a point echoed from the opening day of the trial. More information on this days proceedings can be found here.
Day three’s proceedings appear to have focused on attendees of the 2010 concert in question giving testimony, most of which seemed to aid of Blythe‘s defense. One such unidentified witness, who did in fact have an onstage interaction with Blythe that saw him forcibly restrained by the singer, took to the stand. The witness admitted to being drunk during the incident and was said to have claimed that Blythe was just in his actions, as he had already climbed onto the stage a handful of times prior. Another witness gave testimony to Blythe‘s character, insisting that Blythe‘s imposing stage presence was typical of a metal show; implying that many metal musicians try to look menacing from the stage. Such testimony was likely given to counter the prosecutions characterizations of Blythe as an “aggressive and antisocial personality“. Testimony was also heard from former staff of the club in question at which the show took place. The ex-employee testified that while they were aware an ambulance was called after the show, they were not informed as to why. They only learned of the ultimately fatal injuries suffered by 19 year old concertgoer Daniel Nosek later on. More information on this days proceedings can be found here.
The trial will now be postponed until March 04th following today’s (February 07th) proceedings. Blythe‘s defense team were granted the delay as the result of a key witness being sick. In turn, Blythe will be allowed to return to the U.S. later this week and told the court that he would return back to Prague, CZE next month when the trial resumes.