Ex-‘American Idol’ Contestant Caleb Flynn Found Guilty of Murdering Wife

Former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn has been found guilty of murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, in Ohio. The 40-year-old musical pastor was convicted on all charges, including aggravated murder, multiple counts of murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence. The verdict came after nearly 2.5 hours of jury deliberation on September 29.

Caleb had pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Ashley, with whom he shares two daughters, died from a gunshot wound in their Tipp County home earlier in February. Caleb called 911 and initially told the dispatcher that a burglary had occurred and that an intruder had murdered his wife.

However, text messages between Caleb and Alleigha Botner, a 24-year-old intern at his church, revealed a 1.5-year affair between the two. In one text, Caleb expressed his desire to kill Ashley if it meant avoiding eternal damnation. Botner testified during the trial, recounting Caleb's messages and her own plea for him to end his marriage to Ashley.

On the day before the shooting, Caleb told Botner that he was planning to tell Ashley he was leaving her the following day. The day before, he sent a message stating, "It's kind of crazy. I'm not scared tomorrow. I mean, I'm not looking forward to it, and it's about to be a crap-fest here moving forward, but I'm not scared of it."

Flynn had previously appeared on season 12 of American Idol in 2013 but did not advance to the main competition. In an interview for the show, he repeatedly mentioned his love for Ashley and their 16-year marriage.