According to Reuters, Tim Lambesis, lead singer for the heavy metal band As I Lay Dying, was arrested in California on Tuesday on charges that he sought the help of an undercover detective to have his estranged wife killed, police said. The band were scheduled to start a headlining tour at the end of this month. No word on whether that will be canceled.
Lambesis was taken into custody in Oceanside, near San Diego, said San Diego County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Jan Caldwell.
Police had previously learned Lambesis was looking for someone to carry out the killing, Caldwell said.
"The information came to us late last week. We acted quickly on it. I believe that we averted a great tragedy," she said.
Caldwell said the ongoing investigation prevented her from disclosing any details about why Lambesis might have wanted to have his wife killed or how police first learned about what they described as his murder plan.
Lambesis’ wife, Meggan, filed papers in San Diego Superior Court in September 2012 seeking a dissolution of marriage, according to an online court database.