Paul Gray's doc didn't kill him

The doctor who prescribed drugs to Slipknot bassist Paul Gray was not responsible for his manslaughter, a court has ruled.

Daniel Baldi was yesterday acquitted of seven charges relating to the deaths of patients, including Gray, who died in 2010 after losing his battle against addiction.

Jurors at Polk Country District Court, Iowa, came to their verdict after two days, in what’s believed to have been the first trial of its kind in the US state. They decided there was insufficient evidence to suggest Baldi should have known a death was likely as a result of his actions.

One juror told the Des Moine Register: “I didn’t understand why he was on trial – I was waiting for a smoking gun of some sort. It never appeared.” A patient of Baldi’s who attended the full trial to show her support said: “I could think of no other place to be – he has always offered me so much kindness and compassion.”

Brenna Gray last week spent over an hour in the witness box, during which time she suggested her late husband’s bandmates had failed to help her in the days leading up to his overdose.

She said: “One was playing golf two minutes away from our house but couldn’t come. Nobody else cared, nobody was involved. They told me it was my problem.”

Baldi, 51, an expert in pain management, had faced up to 18 years in jail if found guilty. He now hopes to return to work.

Slipknot are currently working on their first album since Gray’s death.

Freelance Online News Contributor

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.