A former Ohio music pastor who once appeared on American Idol was found guilty Tuesday of killing his wife while having an affair.
Caleb Flynn, 40, was found guilty of aggravated murder, in the February shooting of Ashley Flynn, 37, a schoolteacher and volleyball coach.
Flynn, who pleaded not guilty, said in a frantic 911 call that a burglar had killed her. He faces up to life in prison.
Flynn appeared on American Idol in 2013, telling TV viewers his wife had encouraged him to chase his dreams on the singing competition. He did not advance to the main competition in Hollywood.
Prosecutors told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday that Flynn had tried to mislead investigators by staging a break-in at their home in Tipp City, a suburb north of Dayton. Flynn and the couple’s two daughters were home when police arrived.
Flynn wanted out of the marriage, prosecutors said, but also didn’t want to lose his daughters, his high-paying job at his wife’s family business or his position in the church.
“He wanted to keep his mistress and have his daughters all to himself,” said Matthew Joseph, an assistant Miami county prosecutor.
During the trial, a woman who said she was having an affair with Flynn testified that he had said he hated his wife and had thoughts of killing her.
Flynn’s attorney told the jury Tuesday that investigators never found a gun or evidence that Flynn had fired a gun that day.
“His being unfaithful doesn’t equal murder,” said defense attorney 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 when 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.”
