Heavy metal band lead vocalist Tim Lambesis of the Grammy-nominated U.S. band As I Lay Dying has been arrested Tuesday for allegedly planning to murder his estranged wife. He allegedly hired an undercover detective to kill his unnamed wife in a murder-for-hire plot.

The 32-year-old musician apparently solicited someone to kill his wife. He was arrested five days after detectives received a tip.

He was charged with one count of solicitation to commit murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit crime.

Lambesis "was arrested without incident while shopping. He is accused of attempting to find someone to kill his estranged wife, who lives in Encinitas," authorities told L.A. Now, adding that the openly Christian musician had "attempted to hire an undercover sheriff's detective for the murder."

His arraignment is scheduled on Thursday at the Vista county courthouse.

As I Lay Dying was nominated for Best Metal Performance for their song "Nothing Left" in 2008. They are scheduled to appear as special guests on the upcoming Killswitch Engage tour starting late May.

They post the following message to their fans on their Web site:

"As we post this, the legal process is taking it's [sic] 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 as 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."