Ex-American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn found guilty of murdering wife

Former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn has been found guilty of murdering his wife and staging a fake break-in to cover up the killing.

A jury in Miami County, Ohio, on Tuesday found Flynn, 40, of Tipp City guilty of charges including aggravated murder, murder and felonious assault over the death of his wife Ashley, 37, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Flynn, who broke down in tears as the verdict was read, had been on trial since 17 September; jurors deliberated for about two and a half hours before reaching a verdict shortly after 3.30pm, WLWT-TV reported.

Prosecutors alleged Flynn shot and killed his wife while she slept on 16 February and made the scene look like a home invasion, the Enquirer reported. The couple’s two daughters did not wake up during the killing, according to the Dayton Daily News.

Prosecutors said Flynn murdered his wife to start a new life with his mistress, Alleigha Botner, 24, whom he met in 2022 when she was a 20-year-old intern at the church where he served as a music pastor, the New York Post reported. More than 100,000 text messages between the pair were presented as evidence, including one sent hours before the murder in which Flynn allegedly wrote: “I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow.”

Flynn’s lawyers acknowledged the affair but argued it did not make him a murderer, noting the murder weapon was never recovered. Flynn appeared on season 12 of American Idol in 2013, performing at the Chicago auditions but failing to advance, the US Sun reported.

Sources

• Cincinnati Enquirer — “Caleb Flynn found guilty on all charges in death of wife Ashley Flynn”
• New York Post — “American Idol star Caleb Flynn found guilty of killing wife”
• The Sun — “American Idol pastor Caleb Flynn found guilty of murdering wife”