Decapitated: All Rape and Kidnapping Charges Dropped

January 5th, 2018 at 2:50pm
Axl Rosenberg

2018 is off to a good start for Decapitated. The Spokesman-Review reports that all rape and kidnapping charges against the Polish death metallers have been dropped:

“[O]n Friday [January 5] – 11 days before the [band’s] Jan. 16 trial date – Spokane County prosecutor Kelly Fitzgerald filed a motion dismissing all rape and kidnapping charges. The motion cites ‘the well being of the victim’ as a reason for dropping the charges without prejudice, meaning the four men could be prosecuted in the future.”

The article goes on to state that the defense planned to call into question the legitimacy of the testimony from the two alleged victims, one of whom apparently lied to police about the circumstances under which a boyfriend assaulted her in 2014. We can assume that Fitzgerald felt her case wasn’t strong enough to see all the way through to trial.

What’s not currently clear is how quickly the band’s members — Wacław “Vogg” Kiełtyka (guitars, age 35), Rafał “Rasta” Piotrowski (vocals, 31), Michał Łysejko (drums, 27), and Hubert Więcek (bass, 30) — will be allowed to return to Poland, and whether or not they can be summoned back to the U.S. should the prosecutor indeed choose to pursue the charges at a later date.

Says the band in a statement:

“All charges against Decapitated have formally been dropped. Arrested September 8 in Santa Ana whilst on tour, the members of the band were jailed until December where they were released on their own recognizance.
“New evidence arose that helped show that the band was innocent. While a trial would have given the band the opportunity to have all this evidence heard, the band welcome the decision and are excited to return back to their homes in Poland.
“The members of Decapitated – Wacław, Rafal, Michał and Hubert – send a sincere and heartfelt thanks to all who supported them during this difficult time, including fans, friends, and family.”