Justin Pivec, the 35-year-old man accused of brutally assaulting Madina Lake bassist Matthew Leone in 2010, has been found not guilty by a Chicago court.
Leone was left fighting for his life after breaking up a domestic dispute between Pivec and his wife in the West Town area of Chicago in the early hours of June 29, 2010. Police said
Pivec was beating his wife and turned on Leone when he attempted to intervene. Pivec was subsequently arrested and charged on July 2 with with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm.
Leone - who suffered a fractured skull, broken nose and fractured jaw during the attack - was treated at Chicago's University of Illinios Department of Neurosurgery. There, he had one-third of his skull removed to allow the swelling in his brain to go down.
"We're utterly baffled and shocked to get a 'not guilty' verdict in the Justin Pivec attempted murder case," reads a post written by Matthew's brother and vocalist Nathan Leone on Madina Lake's Facebook page. "Admittedly, we're not well versed in the justice system but today a vicious coward was given a free pass for beating his wife and almost killing my brother. This has taken a tremendous toll on all of us for two years and though we're devastated. We will continue to focus on the positive. which is that Matthew is still with us and hopefully this has spread awareness for victims of domestic violence. More later as we attempt to comprehend this."
Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge Feeling This and 