{
  "id": 10796718,
  "title": "Former American Idol contestant and pastor found guilty of murdering wife",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/former-american-idol-contestant-and-pastor-found-guilty-of-murdering-10796718",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T22:03:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/former-american-idol-contestant-and-pastor-found-guilty-of-murdering-wife/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Caleb Flynn, a former contestant on American Idol and a pastor, has been found guilty of the murder of his wife, Ashley Flynn. The 40-year-old allegedly shot his wife twice in the back of the head while she slept at their Ohio home on February 16th, claiming later that intruders had committed the crime. Flynn was also found guilty of eight other charges, including aggravated murder and tampering with evidence. He faces a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole. The prosecution presented evidence such as police body camera footage, activity on Flynn's iPhone and Apple Watch, and testimony from his former mistress Alleigha Botner. Flynn's defence lawyer argued that there was no concrete evidence against his client. Flynn's text messages to Botner, in which he expressed a desire to kill her, were read aloud in court. The defence called no witnesses. Flynn's gun, which had been kept in the console of his truck, was missing since the discovery of the truck's centre console being open at the scene of the crime.",
  "summary": "A former Ohio music pastor who once appeared on the TV talent competition American Idol has been found guilty of murdering his wife.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CityNews",
        "title": "Case goes to jury in trial of former ‘American Idol’ singer charged in wife’s killing",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/case-goes-to-jury-in-trial-of-former-american-idol-singer-charged-in",
        "published": "2026-09-29T16:56:13.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News (US)",
        "title": "Verdict reached in murder trial of former 'American Idol' contestant",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/verdict-reached-in-murder-trial-of-former-american-idol-contestant",
        "published": "2026-09-29T19:33:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Jury reaches verdict in murder trial of former \"American Idol\" contestant",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/jury-reaches-verdict-in-murder-trial-of-former-american-idol",
        "published": "2026-09-29T19:53:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian US",
        "title": "Former American Idol contestant found guilty of killing wife during affair",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/former-american-idol-contestant-found-guilty-of-killing-wife-during",
        "published": "2026-09-29T20:04:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC World",
        "title": "Former American Idol contestant and pastor found guilty of murdering wife",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/former-american-idol-contestant-and-pastor-found-guilty-of-murdering",
        "published": "2026-09-29T20:25:41.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}