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The frontman for the Christian metal band As I Lay Dying pleaded guilty Tuesday in a San Diego courtroom to hiring a hitman to kill his estranged wife.
Carlsbad native Tim Lambesis, 32, is awaiting his sentencing at Vista Superior court on May 2, according to the Associated Press. The singer, however, is free on a $2 million bond until then.
Undercover cops were involved in Lambesis' arrest back in May, NBC San Diego reported. The singer asked a personal trainer, Brett Kimball, at his gym in April if he knew anyone that he could hire to off his estranged wife of eight years, Meggan Lambesis. That's when Kimball tipped off San Diego authorities, and San Diego County Sheriff's Deputy Howard Bradley went undercover, posing as a hitman. Lambesis gave Bradley $1,000 in cash, his wife's home address, photos of her and gate codes.
She filed for divorce in Sept. 2012, and the singer was angry that she restricted visitations with their three adopted children. He explained to the undercover agent at the time that he was upset his wife wouldn't let him take their three children they adopted from Ethiopia, who are between the ages of 4 and 10, on tour with him, reported NBC San Diego.
Lambesis claimed his thought process was altered when he hired the undercover cop because he was taking steroids at the time, according to Rolling Stone. His wife claimed he was so "obsessed with bodybuilding" that he was distracted watching over their children and had spent thousands of dollars on tattoos. In addition, she found out he cheated on her multiple times, even having a girlfriend while he was with her.
Lambesis can be sentenced up to 9 years in prison, according to NBC San Diego.
