American Idol contestent breaks down as he’s found guilty of wife’s ‘brutal’ murder

A former American Idol contestant and pastor has been convicted of murdering his wife during an affair with a young churchgoer. Caleb Flynn, 40 shot his wife twice in the back of the head in a “brutal execution” in their Ohio home, US prosecutors said. Caleb claims his wife Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old schoolteacher and volleyball coach, was killed by a robber during a home invasion in February, but investigators testified that the crime scene was not consistent with his version of events.

He could face life in prison without the chance of parole when he is sentenced on Monday. Caleb closed his eyes, shook his head to the side and fought to maintain his composure as the judge read the guilty verdicts on charges of murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence. He began sobbing while the judge dismissed the jury. His attorney called the verdicts “disappointing” and said he expects to file an appeal. ‘I choose you. I’m free’ Caleb appeared on American Idol in 2013, telling TV viewers about how his wife had encouraged him to chase his dreams on the singing competition. He sang before judges Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson and Nicki Minaj but did not advance to the main competition in Hollywood.

Prosecutors told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday that Caleb wanted out of his marriage when he shot his wife. Caleb and the couple’s two daughters were home when police arrived. The night before the shooting, he sent a text to his lover, Alleigha Botner, saying: “I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow,” assistant Miami County prosecutor Matthew Joseph said. A divorce could have risked custody of his daughters, his high-paying job at his wife’s family business, or his position in the church, prosecutors said. “He wanted to keep his mistress and have his daughters all to himself,” Joseph said. The gun used to kill Ashley was never found, so prosecutors leaned on financial and romantic motive. They also said his devices showed that he was moving about the house even though he told investigators he was laying on his daughter’s bed when his wife was shot. During the trial, the woman who said she was having an affair with Caleb testified that he said he hated his wife and had thoughts of killing her.

“His being unfaithful doesn’t equal murder,” said Patrick Mulligan. “The issue here isn’t, ‘Was he a good husband?’” Text messages Caleb sent to Botner complaining about his wife were meant to make her feel good, Mulligan said. Botner testified that she met Caleb in 2022 while she was a 20-year-old intern at his church and had an affair with him for more than a year. Botner read aloud in court some of more than 100,000 text messages shared between Caleb and herself. About six months before the killing, Caleb wrote: “I was up until 4am last night crying, literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail.”

Earlier in the murder trial, the jury was played an AI-generated love song, which Caleb had written for Botner. A courtroom camera captured court attendees biting the inside of their cheeks and covering their mouths with their hands as they listened to the song, which has lyrics including: “Age never mattered, when it was you and me.” “We danced on the edge of a life we could choose, so close to forever, so much left to lose.”