Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe has been acquitted by a court in the Czech Republic in the concert death of one of the metal band’s fans.
Blythe was accused of pushing Daniel Nosek, 19, from the stage during a 2010 concert in Prague. The man hit his head on the concrete floor and died from his injuries two weeks later. The Prague court charged him with manslaughter, or causing bodily harm to another person with lethal consequences.
The singer, who faced five years in prison if convicted, had traveled to Prague to fight the charges and announced the acquittal on Instagram.
“I have been found not guilty & acquitted of all charges against me. I am a free man,” he said before asking fans to pray for Nosek’s family. “I only wish for them peace. Thank you for your support.”
A court spokesperson confirmed the ruling to the Associated Press. The Czech media has covered the case closely.
Blythe was unaware of a warrant out for his arrest when he was detained last June while in Prague for a concert date. He spent spent five weeks in custody before being released on bail in August and has been in the U.S. since. Earlier Tuesday, Blythe issued a statement explaining why he would return to the Czech Republic to fight the charges in person, rather than let it play out without him.
“It would be absolutely intolerable for me to hide from this situation,” he said. “I am an innocent man, but a family suffers the loss of a son, a fan of my band. That is what this whole thing is truly about, not prison, not money, not politics, not ME – it is about a young man who lost his life at just 19 years of age. He will never come back, & it breaks my heart.”
He continued, “I would not be able to sleep at night knowing that I did not behave honorably & try to give his family some answers. That would be disgraceful, and I do not wish to dishonor myself or my family by acting in such a cowardly manner. I was raised to face my problems head on.”
The prosecutor in the case has appealed the verdict.