Jury Deliberates in Ohio Trial of Ex-'American Idol' Singer Accused of Killing Wife

A jury in Ohio began deliberations Tuesday in the trial of Caleb Flynn, a former music pastor and one-time "American Idol" contestant accused of killing his wife while carrying on an affair.

Flynn, 40, faces charges of aggravated murder, assault and tampering with evidence in the February shooting death of Ashley Flynn, 37, a schoolteacher and volleyball coach. He has pleaded not guilty and could face up to life in prison if convicted on the most serious counts.

In a frantic 911 call, Flynn told authorities that a burglar had killed his wife. Prosecutors argued during closing arguments that he tried to mislead investigators by staging a break-in at the family's home in Tipp City, a suburb north of Dayton. Flynn and the couple's two daughters were at the residence when police arrived.

Assistant Miami County prosecutor Matthew Joseph told jurors that Flynn wanted to leave the marriage but was unwilling to give up his daughters, his well-paying job at his wife's family business or his position at the church. "He wanted to keep his mistress and have his daughters all to himself," Joseph said.

During the trial, a woman who testified that she had an affair with Flynn said he told her he hated his wife and had thought about killing her. Alleigha Botner said she met Flynn in 2022, when she was a 20-year-old intern at his church, and that the relationship lasted more than a year. She read aloud from their text exchanges, including a message sent about six months before the killing in which Flynn wrote that he had been up until 4 a.m. crying and trying to think of ways to kill his wife without going to jail.

Defense attorney Patrick Mulligan countered that investigators never recovered a gun or found evidence that Flynn fired one that day. "His being unfaithful doesn't equal murder," Mulligan told the jury, adding that the question before them was not whether Flynn had been a good husband. He said text messages in which Flynn complained about his wife were intended to make his lover feel good.

Flynn appeared on "American Idol" in 2013, telling viewers that his wife had encouraged him to pursue his dreams on the singing competition. He did not advance to the main competition in Hollywood.