Tim Lambesis, As I Lay Dying Frontman, Pleads Guilty To Solicitation Of Murder

by uInterviewFebruary 26, 2014, 12:00 amNews >

Tim Lambesis, metal band As I Lay Dying frontman, pleaded guilty to solicitation of murder on Tuesday, after being arrested for attempting to hire a man to murder his estranged wife.

Lambesis, 32, co-founded the San Diego-based heavy metal band, As I Lay Dying, and the band’s latest release debuted at Number 11 on the Billboard charts. As I Lay Dying was getting ready to go on tour when Lambesis was arrested in 2013, throwing a wrench in the band’s plans. After his arrest, he pleaded not guilty at arraignment and was later released on a $2 million bail on condition of wearing a GPS device.

In 2012, Lambesis’ wife of 8 years, Meggan, filed for divorce after reportedly learning that Lambesis had had multiple affairs and receiving an e-mail from her husband in which he declared that he did not love her anymore and had lost his faith in God. In her divorce filings, Meggan stated that Lambesis had become obsessed with bodybuilding and she worried about his ability to father their three children, all adopted from Ethiopia.

In fact, Lambesis’ lawyer, Thomas Warwick, cited his bodybuilding hobby as part of his defense, saying that Lambesis’ body building led him to begin taking steroids which impaired his judgment.

“His thought processes were devastatingly affected by his steroid use,” Warwick said in a statement in May, 2013.

According to Deputy District Attorney Claudia Grasso, Lambesis asked his fellow gym members for hit men recommendations and ended up setting up a meeting with ‘Red,’ an undercover cop who was posing as a hit man. Lambesis reportedly told ‘Red,’ “I don’t want to see her [his wife] ever again.”

‘Red’ then asked Lambesis if he specifically wanted his wife “dead,” to which Lambesis responded, “Yes, that’s exactly what I want.”

Lambesis then allegedly handed over $1,000 to ‘Red’ and gave him specific instructions on where and how to find his wife. Lambesis reportedly showed ‘Red’ pictures of his wife, and told him her address and how to get passed the security gate. Grasso also accused Lambesis of instructing ‘Red’ to kill his wife on dates when he would have the children, therefore providing him with an alibi.

Should Lambesis be convicted, he faces up to nine years in prison and a $10,000 fine. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for May 2, 2014.

– Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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