Decapitated Members Formally Charged With Rape in Spokane County | Page 2 | Revolver

Decapitated Members Formally Charged With Rape in Spokane County

Band already charged with kidnapping after September 9th arrest
decapitated 2017 PRESS, Oscar Szramka
photograph by Oscar Szramka

All four members of Polish death-metal band Decapitated have been formally charged with rape, reports The Spokeman-Review. Singer Rafal Piotrowski and guitarist Waclaw Kieltika were charged with second degree rape, while drummer Mikola LLysejko and bassist Hubert Wiecek were charged with third degree. The band issued a statement in reaction to the news:

"Following extradition from California to Washington, the band has now been charged," it opens. "We'd like to emphasise; the Spokane Police Department has pressed charges as procedural formality, without doing so, they would be forced to release band – this is not a conviction or any indication of guilt or innocence.

"Once again, we ask that everyone wait for each party's case to be presented and await the court's decision. With that said, whilst cases are being prepared on both sides, some facts are indisputable at this point – that the original officer who took the complaint from the accuser stated, 'I do not have probable cause that a rape occurred,' and it's taken a full 30 days to file charges, which is right up against the point at which the defendants would legally have had to be released.

"The band firmly refutes the allegations and are confident that once the facts and evidence have been seen and heard, they will be released and able to return home. Individuals who were present on the night in question with information about the case are asked to reach out to the defense lawyer, Steve Graham of Spokane, Washington," it concludes.

The bandmates had been arrested in California on September 9th on charges of first-degree kidnapping after reports of an alleged incident in the hours following their August 31st show in Spokane, Washington, at concert venue the Pin. Court documents obtained by local media accuse the group of kidnapping and raping a woman on their tour bus outside the venue. Decapitated have since denied the charges in a statement, and their lawyer, Steve Graham, has said that they are "fully confident that the other side of this story will be heard."

You can watch a September 13th report by Los Angeles' KABC on the proceedings below. The band recently began the extradition process from L.A. jail, where they were being held, to Spokane, where they have been charged.