As I Lay Dying Frontman Faces Court On Plot To Murder Wife

After being arrested earlier this week as he tried to hire a hitman to kill his wife, Tim Lambesis, frontman of Christian metalcore band As I Lay Dying has fronted court for the first time.

NBC San Diego have posted chilling coutroom footage of an emotionless Lambesis as the court is told how the incident played out. The court heard that the frontman asked people at his gym if they knew of someone who would murder his wife Meggan, as she was making their imminent divorce a difficult situation.

Deputy District Attorney Claudia Grasso said that Lambesis gave the undercover officer posing as a hitman by the name of Red one thousand dollars in cash, photos of his wife, the security codes to get into his wife's apartment and a list of dates that would be suitable for the killing to occur. Lambesis is said to have asked it to take place while his children were with him so that he had an alibi.

The prosecution is said to have an audio recording that clearly confirms that Lambesis told "Red" "it's better for his children to have one healthy relationship with one parent rather than two unhealthy ones” and that he wanted his wife gone. When Red asked if this meant he wanted her killed, Lambesis is said to have replied "yes, that's exactly what I want."

The court also heard of a number of alleged affairs, that Lambesis spent half the year on the road with his band and an increasing amount of time at the gym. He was said to have spent thousands of dollars on tattoos and, in an email to his estranged wife in August last year, admitted he no longer believed in God.

Lambesis is currently being held on $3 million bail and, if that bail is made, he will have his passport seized, be fitted with a tracking device and be forced to stay in the San Diego area. He faces a maximum jail sentence of nine years.

His band broke their silence yesterday, posting a status on Facebook that simply stated they had no further information on what was happening.

To our fans,

As we post this, the legal process is taking its course and we have no more information than you do. There are many unanswered questions, and the situation will become clearer in the coming days and weeks. We'll keep you informed as best we can.

Our thoughts right now are with Tim, his family, and with everyone else affected by this terrible situation - and with our fans, whom we love and draw strength from.

Thank you for understanding, and as always, for your support of As I Lay Dying.

- Jordan, Nick, Phil, and Josh