Did Judas Priest Encourage Suicide?

In December 1985, two young fans of Judas Priest killed themselves after spinning the band's records. Before dying, one of the boys, James Vance, told witnesses that he had shot himself because the band's music told him to. Both the group and its record label were accused in a civil suit for negligence and intentional and reckless misconduct. Lawyers for the families argued that the musicians had placed subliminal messages in several recordings, including the album ''Stained Class,'' thereby inducing the suicides. Priest denied the subliminal messaging and, four years later, prevailed in the suit.