By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-10-06 03:11:59 | Updated at 2026-10-06 04:15:05
1 hour ago
Caleb Flynn was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury convicted the former Ohio music pastor, who appeared briefly on “American Idol,” of murdering his wife while he was having an affair.
Miami County Common Pleas Judge Jeannine Pratt imposed the sentence in Troy, Ohio. Prosecutors said Flynn, 40, staged a home invasion in February and claimed a burglar killed Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old schoolteacher and volleyball coach, at their house in Tipp City, a suburb north of Dayton.
The couple’s two daughters were home when Flynn shot his wife in her sleep.
With tears rolling down his cheeks, Flynn apologized in court before the sentencing to his family, starting with his two daughters.
“I made vows to Ashley on our wedding day. I failed in those vows,” he said.
Flynn remained adamant that he was innocent.
“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 said before being sentenced.
Pratt said the court was deeply disturbed that Flynn used his faith to manipulate others, adding that he showed no remorse for his actions and demonstrated “layers of deceit, manipulation, and cruelty.”
She quoted a victim statement from one of the daughters, read aloud moments earlier by a family member, asking, “What did Ashley ever do to make you hate her so much?”
The jury found him guilty on Sept. 29 of murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence.
As the judge read the guilty verdicts last week, Flynn closed his eyes, shook his head to the side, and seemingly fought to maintain his composure. He sobbed as the judge dismissed the jury.
His attorney called the verdicts “disappointing” and said he expects to file an appeal.
Prosecutors told jurors during closing arguments that Flynn wanted out of his marriage when he shot his wife at their home in Tipp City.
A prosecutor said that the night before the fatal shooting, Flynn sent a text to his mistress, Alleigha Botner.
“I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow,” the text read.
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 argued.
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 Flynn’s 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, 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.
She told jurors that Flynn said he hated his wife and had thoughts of killing her.
Flynn’s attorney Patrick Mulligan told the jury that investigators never found evidence that Flynn fired a gun that day. Mulligan did not immediately return a request for comment from The Epoch Times.
“His being unfaithful doesn’t equal murder,” Mulligan said. “The issue here isn’t, ‘Was he a good husband?’”
In his 2013 appearance on “American Idol,” Flynn told TV viewers about how his wife had been the one to encourage 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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
