American Idol star weeps as singer handed life sentence for murdering wife

Flynn appeared on Season 12 of American Idol back in 2013, where he failed to make it past the initial audition stage to reach the Hollywood rounds after leaving judges Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson, and Nicki Minaj underwhelmed.

During his audition interview segment, he introduced himself as a music pastor and shared his wife, who he later murdered, had encouraged him to pursue his dream of singing to begin with.

Prosecutors said Flynn shot his wife at the couple's home in Tipp City, a suburb of Dayton, in February before attempting to stage the scene as if a burglar had breached the home and killed Ashley.

Flynn, along with the couple's two daughters aged nine and 11, was in the house when police arrived.

Although he admitted in court to lying about several aspects of the case, Flynn continued to deny killing his wife throughout the trial.

"As I stand here before God, who is my ultimate judge, I am not lying when I say I did not kill my wife," he told the court.

Prosecutors argued Caleb Flynn had been seeking a way out of his marriage and wanted to begin a new life with a former mistress

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Flynn broke down in court after the guilty verdict and later apologised to his family, beginning with his two daughters.

"I made vows to Ashley on our wedding day. I failed in those vows," he said.

As far as a motive is concerned, prosecutors argued Flynn had been seeking a way out of the marriage and wanted to begin a new life with a former mistress while avoiding the loss of custody of his daughters, his job at his wife's family's business and his position in the church.

Matthew Joseph, an assistant Miami County prosecutor, told jurors Flynn had exchanged messages with former mistress Alleigha Botner on the night before the shooting.

Caleb and Ashley Flynn have two daughters, aged nine and 11

FACEBOOK/ASHLEY FLYNN

According to prosecutors, Flynn wrote: "I choose you. I'm free. Actions will come tomorrow."

Another message read: "I was up until 4am last night crying, literally thinking of ways to kill her and not go to jail. I just want her dead and gone."

"He wanted to keep his mistress and have his daughters all to himself," Mr Joseph said.

The murder weapon has never been recovered, but prosecutors said Flynn's fingerprints and DNA were found throughout the crime scene.

They also pointed to evidence from Flynn's electronic devices - an iPhone and Apple watch - which prosecutors said showed him moving around the house at the time of the shooting.

Prosecutors argued this evidence contradicted Flynn's account to investigators he had been asleep when his wife was killed - which ultimately cost him in the eyes of the jury.

The prosecution doubled down on the staged burglary being part of an effort to conceal Flynn's involvement in the shooting. And despite overwhelming evidence presented at trial, Flynn maintained throughout he was not responsible for his wife's death.

Passing sentence, Judge Jeannine Pratt called Flynn an "extreme" risk to the public.

Caleb Flynn had exchanged messages with former mistress Alleigha Botner on the night before the shooting

CBS

Letters from his two daughters were read in court during the sentencing hearing yesterday, urging their father to finally admit his guilt and questioning why he killed their mother.

One of his daughters' letters read: "Dear Daddy, I don't even know where to start. How could you do such a thing? Mommy was the perfect person, and then you chose to kill the only mother I ever had."

The other daughter's letter began "Dear Caleb", rather than addressing him as her dad, and asked him to "tell everyone what you did it and receive your outcome".

"You made me feel like an idiot thinking I could trust you," his daughter said, adding she continues to have faith in God and she will never visit her father in prison".