Tim Lambesis, the Grammy-nominated frontman of “Christian” heavy metal band As I Lay Dying, has been arrested on suspicion of hiring a former policeman to have his estranged wife killed.
As The Age reports, Lambesis was arrested “without incident” on Tuesday in front of a shop in Oceanside, Southern California at around 2pm, according to a statement released by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and could be facing up to nine years in jail for his involvement in the murder-for-hire plot.
“The information came to us late last week. We acted quickly on it. I believe that we averted a great tragedy,” said the Department’s spokeswoman, Jan Caldwell.
Police say they immediately set up a task force combining the efforts of several law enforcement agencies after receiving information on Thursday that Lambesis had contacted a hit man.
As the case is still heavily under investigation, Caldwell said police have not pinpointed Lambesis’ motives for arranging the slaying of his ex-partner, Meggan, but one suggested explanation for the sinister murder plot is that the metal singer’s partner filed for divorce in September last year. [Tim Labesis] could be facing up to nine years in jail for his involvement in the murder-for-hire plot…
The insidious news is a surprise given that the metal quintet are regularly labelled as a Christian-associated act (murder not being high on the church’s list of abdicated sins). The five-piece have spoken numerous times of their Christianity, including Lambesis, who has tried to distance religious ties from the band, saying in an interview with Noisecreep last year that they wanted “to be judged on the music” as opposed to their “personal beliefs.”
“I’m not sure what the difference is between five Christians playing in a band and a Christian band,” writes Lambesis on the official As I Lay Dying website’s FAQ page. “If you truly believe something, then it should affect every area of your life. All five of us are Christians. I believe that change should start with me first.”
As I Lay Dying formed 13 years ago and released six studio albums, and with songs like ‘Forced To Die’, ‘The Voices That Betray Me’ and ‘Coffee Mug’ (their popular cover of The Descendents’ tune), their material suddenly seems a little darker following these events.
Their most successful album was 2007’s An Ocean Between Us, which debuted at #8 on the Billboard charts and received a Grammy nomination for top metal performance.
The band were last on our shores supporting Disturbed on the Australian leg of their tour in 2011 and previously played at Soundwave in 2008.
When Tone Deaf had a chat with bassist/vocalist Josh Gilbert earlier this year, the band seemed to be in their prime and enjoying every minute of their success.
“We feel so great,” he said. “We’re just happy to be able to play overseas in a place like Australia to awesome fans and any time we can get over there we’d love to,” given the recent allegations surrounding their frontman’s murder plot, it sadly looks like we don’t think that time is anywhere in the near distant future.
Lambesis’ chances to “be judged on the music” have probably turned sour. The singer is expected to appear in court for an arraignment on Wednesday or Thursday. A spokesman for the San Diego District Attorney’s Office could not be reached for comment, nor could As I Lay Dying’s record label Metal Blade.
It’s not the first time a popular heavy metal frontman has been embroiled in a murder charge. Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe went through a significant amount of court time and personal turmoil over manslaughter charges in connection with the 2010 death of a 19-year-old at a Lamb of God concert in Prauge, but was finally acquitted of all charges in March of this year.
