32 year old Tim Lambesis, lead singer for Christian metal-core band As I Lay Dying, was arrested on Tuesday in Oceanside, California while shopping. According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s website, the singer was brought into custody and is being charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and one count of solicitation of another to commit a murder. As of now, the suspect is not eligible for bail.
Deputies claim that on May 2nd the singer had contacted a man to murder his wife. It just so happens that Lambesis contacted an under cover agent in a sting operation. Jan Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release that the “information came to us late last week. We acted quickly on it. I believe that we averted a great tragedy.”
Tim Lambesis has two daughters and one son, all of whom were adopted from Ethiopia. He filed for divorce from his wife, Meggan, in September of 2012. She currently resides in Encinitas.
As a singer of a popular Christian band, Lambesis has always been one to proclaim his faith. Many susceptible, young people have looked up to him for years, only to be shattered with this news. Tim Pyles, a San Diego contributor at radio station 94.9, regretfully came to the conclusion that “He’s not the idealistic young Christian kid he once was, apparently. Because that’s what [As I Lay Dying] are: a straight-edged Christian metal band. He was a nice guy. I’ve had him on my show a couple times over the years.”
News surrounding the motive will hopefully emerge as a trial begins. On the San Diego Sheriff’s website, the singer is shown to have a court appearance at the North Division Court in Vista, CA scheduled for Thursday, May 9 at 11:30am (PT).
