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A former Ohio music minister who appeared briefly on “American Idol” was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, after a jury convicted him last week of murdering his wife while having an affair. The judge said Caleb Flynn40, his Christian faith to treat others and showed no remorse for actions marked by “series of deception, manipulation and cruelty.”
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Caleb Flynn convicted of wife’s murder
With tears streaming down his cheeks, Flynn apologized to his family just before he was sentenced, starting with his two young daughters, who were at home when he shot his sleeping wife. He called the birth the “greatest joy in this life.”
Although he said he took responsibility for his words and decisions, Flynn was adamant that he was innocent.
“As I stand here before God, who is my main judge, I am not lying when I say that I did not kill my wife,” he said.
Prosecutors said Flynn staged a home invasion in February and said a burglar killed his wife, Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old school teacher and volleyball coach. In his 2013 appearance on “American Idol,” Flynn credited his wife for encouraging him to chase his dream on the singing competition. He did not advance to the main competition in Hollywood.
During the trial, Flynn did not testify on his own behalf, and neither did anyone else.
Family members, including Ashley’s parents, spoke out for the harsh sentence on Monday, saying they had forgiven Flynn because they didn’t want her legacy to be one of hate.
Her sister, Kayla Keyt, said Flynn’s actions have shaken the entire church community, causing children to run into their parents’ bedrooms to make sure their fathers didn’t kill their mothers.
As a family member read a statement written by his daughter Ava, Flynn was sobbing uncontrollably when a pile of tissues grew on the protective table in front of him. At one point, it looked like he might fall over.
“Mommy was a perfect person,” her statement said. “The perfect person. What has she ever done to you to make you hate her so much?” In her statement, his daughter Alyssa said she would not visit him in prison.
During closing arguments, prosecutors told jurors that Flynn wanted out of his marriage when he shot his wife at their home in Tipp City, a suburb north of Dayton. He sent a text message to his girlfriend the night before the shooting, saying, “I choose you. I’m free. Actions come tomorrow,” prosecutors said.
During the trial, Allighea Botner testified that she met Flynn in 2022 while she was a 20-year-old student at his church and had a relationship with him for more than a year. She told jurors that Flynn said he hated his wife and had thoughts of killing her.
The gun used to kill Ashley Flynn was not found at the scene, and his attorney told jurors that investigators found no evidence that Caleb Flynn fired a gun that day. Prosecutors said his fingerprints and DNA were at the scene and his devices showed him moving around the house, even though he said he was asleep at the time of the shooting.
The jury found him guilty of multiple counts, including murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence.
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Associated Press Writers Julie Carr Smyth and Patrick Aftoora-Srsagos contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
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