Nearly a year after being arrested, As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis has pled guilty to the charges of murder-for-hire. The performer faces up to none years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
Lambesis was arrested during May 2013 after meeting with an undercover cop and arranging to have his wife murdered. According to the report, the vocalist gave the officer an envelope containing $1,000 in cash and photos of his wife. Lambesis also instructed the faux-killer to do the deed when the performer was with his three children, so that the performer would have an alibi. The vocalist immediately pleaded not guilty at his initial arraignment. His lawyer would later claim that his use of steroids caused his brain to be "devastatingly affected."
Lambesis and his wife had been having marital issues, according to reports. She was seeking a divorce, after several affairs on Lambesis's part had come to light. She also reported that he had spent thousands of dollars on tattoos and bodybuilding. As I Lay Dying had long been noted for its members' Christianity, and Lambesis had recently acknowledged that he had fallen from the faith, although there's no indication as to whether this had any impact on the status of his relationship.
There hasn't been any word yet from the rest of As I Lay Dying whether the band will push on following Lambesis' declaration of guilt, which will surely land him several years in prison. The group last released an album with 2011's Awaken, and it cancelled its tour with Killswitch Engage last summer following Lambesis' arrest.
