As I Lay Dying's Tim Lambesis: "My Life's Work Now Is to Undo the Hurt I've Caused"

Singer who was jailed for 2013 murder-for-hire plot outlines band's commitment to "facilitate positive, meaningful change in the world"

Tim Lambesis, 2012

photograph by Joey Foley / Getty Images

As I Lay Dying's Tim Lambesis has issued a statement via his band's official Instagram account apologizing for his role in trying to hire a hit man to murder his now-ex wife, and outlining the band's commitment to "continually seek and implement ways to facilitate positive, meaningful change in the world."

Lambesis served prison time for the plot, which included giving an undercover agent $1000, the code to the couple's home, and helping concoct an alibi. His defense in the trial hinged strongly on steroid-induced rage and madness.

"I stand against who I became in my past and am pursuing a new purpose in the rebirth of AILD," the post begins. "We collectively are. People who support AILD are not supporting the person I once was, because part of my life's work now is to undo the hurt I've caused and to help others in addiction."

He also denounces the widespread issue of domestic violence on behalf of the entire band in the statement, saying "AILD collectively condemns all forms of domestic abuse and violence. Its aftermath is one of pervasive, long-lasting hurt and there is no acceptable excuse or defense for such behavior."

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I stand against who I became in my past and am pursuing a new purpose in the rebirth of AILD. We collectively are. • People who support AILD are not supporting the person I once was, because part of my life’s work now is to undo the hurt I’ve caused and to help others in addiction. Instead, I think AILD fans are supporting the belief that people can change. • I will never be able to undo my greatest mistake, but I believe it’s better to do something rather than give up. • AILD collectively condemns all forms of domestic abuse and violence. Its aftermath is one of pervasive, long-lasting hurt and there is no acceptable excuse or defense for such behavior. Our agenda as a band is to actively back and work with organizations who offer support to those who are emotionally suffering and in pain. Whether it be from a history of abuse, hardship, or mental illness—pro-activity in healing and recovery is at the core of what this band is now. • Tonight we’ll play the biggest headline show of our career (topping our second biggest headline show earlier on this same tour). Our fans in Germany did not know this when they bought their tickets, but we will be donating a portion of proceeds from our show to HeartSupport; an organization we believe in that functions to provide emotional support and counseling to young adults caught in cycles of addiction, depression, sexual abuse, and family turmoil. Our mission is to continually seek and implement ways to facilitate positive, meaningful change in the world around us. • For now, we don’t want to miss out on bringing purpose into our biggest moment yet. We’ve been given a second chance we thought we’d never have again and we certainly don’t take it for granted. • Sincerely, Tim

A post shared by As I Lay Dying (@asilaydying) on Dec 8, 2018 at 5:05am PST

As I Lay Dying are currently on tour in Europe. Lambesis' post states that portions of the proceeds from the band's recent German show were donated to HeartSupport, a Christian organization headed by August Burns Red singer Jake Luhrs, who Lambesis believes "functions to provide emotional support and counseling to young adults caught in cycles of addiction, depression, sexual abuse, and family turmoil."