As I Lay Repenting.
Tim Lambesis, the longhaired front man of the California-based Christian metal band As I Lay Dying, apologized for the first time on Monday for trying to have his ex-wife killed in 2013.
Lambesis, who was paroled last year after spending two years behind bars, posted the lengthy apology to his band’s Facebook page Monday night.
“There is no defense for what I did, and I look back on the person I became with as much disdain as many of you likely do,” the 37-year-old Christian singer wrote. “I apologize to my former wife and remarkable children for my appalling actions. There’s not a single day that goes by where I don’t wish I could undo the damage I caused.”
Lambesis’ mea culpa comes nearly three years after he pleaded guilty to felony murder solicitation charges after hiring a hitman to kill his ex-wife.
Lambesis and his wife, Meggan, who have three adopted children together, separated after she filed for divorce in 2012.
The separation enraged Lambesis who met with a hitman codenamed “Red” on May 7, 2013. Lambesis told the man that he wanted his estranged wife “gone” and gave him an envelope containing $1,000, several photos of his former partner as well as her address.
But the mysterious killer-for-hire was in fact an undercover detective and Lambesis was arrested shortly thereafter.
Lambesis was sentenced to six years in prison but got out after serving just two.
The head-banging ex-con said he has waited several years to apologize because “time seemed like the best way to promote healing.”
“Today marks the first opportunity to freely apologize without any motivation to gain favor from the courts, as I have now completed the entirety of my legal sentence,” Lambesis’ statement continued. “Let it be clear that no amount of time served can right my wrongs. I do not feel deserving of a second chance and am not asking for anyone’s trust.”
Lambesis also apologized to his fans: “I let you down in so many ways…I was living a life that lacked empathy and viewed everything through a self-motivated lens.”
