Tim Lambesis, the lead singer with Christian metalcore band As I Lay Dying, has been taken into custody in California after allegedly hiring an undercover police detective to kill his estranged wife.

Jan Caldwell, a spokeswoman from San Diego County Sheriff's Department, told Reuters that they learned last week that Lambesis was looking for a hitman, and that the department had "averted a great tragedy" by acting quickly on the information.

Caldwell added that no further details about Lambesis' motive or murder plan could be disclosed owing to the ongoing police investigation.

As I Lay Dying, founded by Lambesis in 2000, have released six studio albums and won several awards and received a Grammy Award nomination in 2008. The five band members describe themselves as Christians, but Lambesis clarified on the band's website that although their songs were written from his "perspective as a Christian", the lyrics do not come across as "preachy".