Legal

As I Lay Dying frontman pleads not guilty to wife murder plot

By | Published on Friday 10 May 2013

Tim Lambesis

As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis appeared in a San Diego court yesterday. In the short hearing, he entered a not guilty plea to charges of attempting to hire a hitman to murder his estranged wife, Meggan, who filed for divorce last September.

As previously reported, the person Lambesis is accused of attempting to get to carry out the killing was actually an undercover police officer. San Diego police said on Tuesday that they had learned of the singer’s plans last week and acted quickly to prevent the crime from taking place.

In court yesterday, prosecutors said that police obtained a recording of Lambesis handing over $1000 in cash to the undercover officer, as well as pictures of his wife and the address and entry codes to the security gates of her home. He also allegedly said that the murder should take place while he was with the couple’s three adopted children, in order to provide him with an alibi. When asked specifically if he wanted his wife dead, Lambesis, it is claimed, said: “Yes, that’s exactly what I want”.

Lambesis’s bandmates, plus representatives of the band’s label, Metal Blade, and their management company, 5B, were all present in court.

Earlier this week the band also put out a statement on their website, saying: “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”.

The prosecution asked that Lambesis’s bail be set at $20 million, though the Judge Martin Staven opted for the more modest though still significant sum of $3 million. Staven also scheduled Lambesis’ next court appearance – a “readiness conference” – for 10 Jun, plus a preliminary hearing for 10 Jul. It will likely be some months before the case comes to trial.



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