As I Lay Dying frontman Timothy Lambesis pleaded guilty on Tuesday (February 25) to a felony charge of solicitation of murder.

Lambesis [article id="1706977"]was arrested last year[/article] in California after he attempted to hire an undercover officer to kill [article id="1707079"]his estranged wife[/article]. He will be sentenced on May 2, and could face up to 9 years in prison, plus four years parole, in addition to a fine of $10,000.

At an arraignment hearing in May, Lambesis [article id="1707125"]originally pleaded not guilty[/article] to the solicitation of murder charge, after his defense attorney claimed his client was the result of a "scumbag snitch setup." However, prosecutors countered that Lambesis had not only met with an undercover detective posing as a hit man, but had given the agent an envelope containing $1,000, pictures of his wife, her address and the security code to a gate at her residence.

Prosecutors also claimed that Lambesis gave the agent -- identified as "Red" -- specific dates that the hit could take place, and, when asked by Red whether he wanted his wife dead, Lambesis replied "Yes, that's exactly what I want."

At press time, As I Lay Dying has yet to release a statement about Lambesis' guilty plea. When the singer was arrested last year, [article id="1707055"]the band posted a message[/article] on their official site thanking fans for their support, adding "Our thoughts right now are with Tim, his family, and with everyone else affected by this terrible situation."

They'd subsequently cancel a tour with Killswitch Engage and have yet to return to the road.