Good news for the members of Decapitated. Spokane, WA prosecutors have dropped the rape and kidnapping charges against the band. This latest development in the case occurred earlier today as a response to new evidence which cast doubt over the court's case against the members of Decapitated.
You may remember that all four members of the band were arrested in September 2017 after they had been accused of gang raping a fan after a show and holding her against her will. The validity of the claims against the band were called into question when several witnesses testified that the alleged victim had been in the pit all night; which could explain the scraps and bruising she had. Furthermore, it was found out that she had previously made false statements to police in the past regarding abuse from a boyfriend.
It is believed that, with this new information, the case against the band would have been unsuccessful if it went to trial. It is however still possible for charges to be brought up against the band in the future.
While fans, friends and the band themselves have plenty of reason to celebrate their release, I can't help but feel like everyone involved in this situation has lost. Decapitated has had their reputation dragged through the mud and their career will likely suffer for it. The specter of sexual assault charges won't go away easy even with dropped charges. In a post Weinstein world, even the accusation of sexual misconduct can be catastrophic. Accusations of brutal gang rape will possibly haunt the band for a long time to come.
Even worse, this has the potential to cause harm to sexual assault victims. Cases of false accusations hurt the chance of real victims being believed and helped. This case will just create another precedent for goons to cite against victims, stifling their voices and perpetuating reprehensible behavior.
I, for one, don't know how to feel about any of this. On the one hand, a band whose music I like has been deemed not guilty and are officially considered to not be monsters. On the other hand, someone appears to have falsified some pretty heinous claims that could causing issues for victims down the road. We'll keep you posted as this story continues to develop.