A former Ohio music pastor who once appeared on "American Idol" was convicted of murder Tuesday in the killing of his wife while he was having an affair.
Prosecutors said Caleb Flynn, 40, staged a home invasion in February after shooting his wife, Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old schoolteacher and volleyball coach.
Flynn, who claimed his wife was killed by a burglar, could get up to life in prison without the chance of parole when he's sentenced on Monday.
Flynn 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.
Flynn 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 Flynn wanted out of his marriage when he shot his wife at their home in Tipp City, a suburb north of Dayton. Flynn and the couple’s two daughters were home when police arrived.
The night before the fatal shooting, he sent a text to his lover saying: “I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow," said Matthew Joseph, an assistant Miami County prosecutor.
Flynn didn’t want to lose 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.
Prosecutors didn’t find the gun used to kill Ashley Flynn, but they said his fingerprints and DNA were all over the scene. They also said his devices showed that he was moving about the house even though he told investigators he was sleeping when his wife was shot.
During the trial, the woman who said she was having an affair with Flynn testified that he said he hated his wife and had thoughts of killing her.
Flynn’s attorney told the jury Tuesday that investigators never found evidence that Flynn fired a gun that day.
“His being unfaithful doesn’t equal murder,” said Patrick Mulligan. “The issue here isn’t, ‘Was he a good husband?’”
Text messages Flynn sent to his lover complaining about his wife were meant to make her feel good, Mulligan said.
Alleigha Botner testified she met Flynn 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 some of her text messages with Flynn.
About six months before the killing, Flynn wrote: “I was up until 4 a.m. last night crying, literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail.”
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