TROY, Ohio (Court TV) — A former contestant on “American Idol” faces life in prison after a jury found that he murdered his wife in their bed before staging the scene to look like a break-in.

Caleb Flynn, 40, was convicted of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence in the death of his wife, Ashley Flynn, 37.

On Feb. 16, 2026, Caleb Flynn called 911 to report that there had been a burglary in his home; he said that the intruder had shot his wife before fleeing. Prosecutors said officers at the scene didn’t find any evidence that an intruder had approached the house or gone inside.

In his opening statement to the jury, prosecutor Paul Watkins said that the victim’s position didn’t suggest an intruder was to blame. “She was executed,” he said. “She was shot in the middle of the night — twice, in the back of her head — lying in bed in a sleeping position.”

Investigators have never found the 9 mm weapon used in the killing. Watkins said that the defendant was known to keep a 9 mm in his truck’s console, but investigators found the compartment open and empty.

Watkins said the evidence pointed in one direction: toward the defendant. “People lie, evidence doesn’t,” he said.

Detectives investigating Flynn uncovered more than 100,000 messages he exchanged with his mistress in the year before his wife’s death. “I was up until 4 a.m. last night crying, literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail,” the defendant allegedly said in one message. “If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat. That is how dark and how hateful I feel.” On the night before Ashley Flynn was killed, Caleb Flynn allegedly sent his mistress a message saying, “I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow, February 16, a day I’ll never forget.”

“You’re going to hear a theme in all of the messages from Caleb to his mistress. Caleb stating he hated Ashley, wanted her gone, wanted her dead, wanted to be free of her and wanted a future with his mistress instead,” Watkins said. “The truth was written by Caleb’s own words, recorded by Caleb’s own devices and confirmed by evidence Caleb left behind.”

Caleb Flynn’s attorney, Emily Smith, conceded that her client had an affair, but argued in her opening statement to the jury that it was evidence only of motive, not of any crime. “We’re not going to stand here and excuse Caleb for this. Stated plainly, Caleb betrayed Ashley as a husband,” she said. “Caleb is not on trial for being a bad husband. He’s not on trial for cheating. … A man can fail as a husband without being a murderer, and a man can make selfish decisions without committing a crime.”

Smith told the jury there would be no direct or forensic evidence tying Caleb Flynn to his wife’s death. “The state found their story when they found the affair. Caleb was the most convenient scapegoat for them, and they worked backward,” she said. “They reached their conclusion first and shoehorned the evidence in after.”

Caleb Flynn appeared on season 12 of “American Idol,” where he described himself as a “music pastor.” He was eliminated after the first rounds in Hollywood, California.

DAILY TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS

DAY 8 – 9/29/26

• LIVESTREAM: OH v. Caleb Flynn – Day 8 | American Idol Murder Trial
• The defense and prosecution delivered closing arguments.
• The jury deliberated for two hours and 10 minutes before reaching a verdict.
• MORE: ‘Crybaby’ pastor shakes his head and cries as jury declares him guilty of murdering his wife

DAY 7 – 9/28/26

• LIVESTREAM: OH v. Caleb Flynn – Day 7 | American Idol Murder Trial
• Det. Sgt. Mike Morgan returned to the witness stand.
  • Authenticated a video of his interrogation of Caleb Flynn that was shown to the jury.
  • Under cross-examination, confirmed that none of the victim’s blood was found on the defendant or his clothing and no gunshot residue testing was done.
• Samantha Reeb, forensic analyst
  • Analyzed digital footprints using social media, messages and cellphone extractions.
  • Created a neighborhood canvas map showing active cameras.
  • Identified a fake Instagram profile under the name “Derrick Hammett” on an iPhone matching Caleb Flynn’s login profile, using photos found on the defendant’s phone.
  • Analyzed more than 107,000 messages between Caleb Flynn and Alleigha Botner, highlighting 141 referencing wanting Ashley Flynn dead or gone and 95 messages saying he hated her.
  • Detailed step counts on Caleb Flynn’s Apple Watch and audio routing source changes when he claimed he was asleep.
  • Acknowledged reviewing notes saved on Ashley Flynn’s phone about her marriage.
• The state rested its case.
• The defense rested its case.
• MORE: ‘I didn’t touch my wife’: ‘Crybaby’ Caleb Flynn denies killing wife in interrogation video

DAY 6 – 9/25/26

• LIVESTREAM: OH v. Caleb Flynn – Day 6 | American Idol Murder Trial
• Joseph Wilhelm returned to the witness stand
  • Continued to detail extractions from Apple Watch, AirPods and iPhones.
  • Confirmed search histories and device movements.
  • Defense cross-examination highlighted that Apple device heart rate, step count and in-ear detection can yield false positives.
• Special Agent Andrea Kinzig, FBI
  • Investigated a tip regarding a possible hired hit on Ashley Flynn, which was determined to be unsubstantiated.
  • Performed a full extraction on Ashley Flynn’s iPhone and found no evidence of an extramarital affair or fears for her safety.
  • Recovered deleted messages between Ashley Flynn and Caleb Flynn showing marital friction regarding his responsiveness and failure to make Valentine’s Day plans.
  • Authenticated Google and Amazon Blink records.
• Joseph Stratman, neighbor
  • Authenticated Ring security video showing a vehicle near his residence.
• Jordan Hansen, lead pastor at Christian Life Center (CLC)
  • Confirmed Caleb Flynn was a volunteer and contracted worship leader; Alleigha Botner was a full-time staff worship leader.
  • Church policies strictly prohibit extramarital affairs and sexual relationships among staff and volunteers.
  • Botner was house-sitting and pet-sitting for him while his family was in California on Feb. 16, 2026.
  • Confirmed that Botner resigned from CLC after Ashley Flynn’s death.
• Det. Sgt. Mike Morgan, Tipp City Police Department
  • Lead case investigator, he described his initial observations at the crime scene: the victim appeared to be asleep in bed in a room that was unusually clean and the garage side door showed interior deadbolt receiver damage inconsistent with forced entry from outside.
  • Authenticated and played two recorded interviews with Caleb Flynn from Feb. 16, 2026.
• MORE: ‘Crybaby’ pastor Caleb Flynn in tears in court and on video as interrogation tape plays

DAY 5 – 9/24/26

• LIVESTREAM: OH v. Caleb Flynn – Day 5 | American Idol Murder Trial
• Alleigha Botner returned to the stand.
  • Read extensive text message exchanges with Caleb Flynn from May 2025 through February 2026, detailing their affair and mutual hatred of Ashley Flynn.
  • Discussed hiding and deleting digital footprints across WhatsApp, GroupMe, iMessage and Instagram.
  • Gave the defendant multiple deadlines to leave and divorce Ashley Flynn, with the final deadline being Jan. 11, 2026.
  • Reviewed texts from the night before Ashley Flynn was killed, where Caleb Flynn detailed a step-by-step plan to file for divorce.
  • Admitted that she lied to the FBI to protect her reputation.
  • Confirmed that she performed internet searches about unsolved homicides after Ashley Flynn’s death.
  • MORE: ‘Crybaby’ pastor sheds single tear as his lover reads their texts in court: ‘I’ll love you until the day you die’
• Special Agent Joseph Wilhelm, digital forensic analyst
  • Detailed the full extraction of Caleb Flynn’s iPhone.
  • Uncovered apps that had been uninstalled, including GroupMe and ChatGPT.
  • Presented a consolidated timeline of device activity correlating heart rate metrics, lock status and peripheral connections.
  • Authenticated AI-generated music files that Caleb Flynn had written about his relationship with Botner.

DAY 4 – 9/23/26

• LIVESTREAM: OH v. Caleb Flynn – Day 4 | American Idol Murder Trial
• Det. Brad Kline, Tipp City Police Department
  • Responded to scene of the killing and saw Ashley Flynn dead in the bedroom.
  • Examined the garage access door and noted the doorknob and wood chips were inside the door frame, suggesting force was applied from the inside.
  • Canvassed neighboring homes for surveillance video and found no activity outside the Flynn home before law enforcement arrived.
• Lt. Jason Moore, Miami County Sheriff’s Office
  • Conducted detailed interior search of garage, living spaces, vents and mantle areas.
  • Examined the exterior side door and door jamb; noted a lack of tool/pry marks on the door face or stripping seen in forced entries.
• Det. Zach Farkas, Dayton police officer assigned to FBI Safe Streets Task Force
  • Has seen more than 600 forced doors and personally kicked in more than 100; confirmed damage to the Flynns’ door did not resemble a typical forced entry.
  • Assisted in metal detector searches in the attic and adjacent fields looking for the missing weapon.
  • Confirmed Alleigha Botner’s vehicle movements on Feb. 15-16 aligned with her statements.
• Sarah Deamron, FBI special agent
  • Noted gouge marks were on the inside of the door frame rather than the exterior face.
  • Interviewed Alleigha Botner and collected her cellphone.
  • Noted that Botner was initially untruthful about her affair with the defendant.
  • Assisted in collecting more than 70 tools from the Flynn home to send to the FBI laboratory.
• Alleigha Botner, defendant’s paramour
  • Met Caleb Flynn when she was an intern at the Christian Life Center (CLC), they began an affair in March 2024.
  • Caleb Flynn claimed his wife had cheated on him, said he hated his job and in-laws and promised multiple times to get a divorce.
  • Exchanged thousands of messages with the defendant—as many as 300/day—many of which included Caleb Flynn saying he hated his wife and wanted her gone.
  • Promised that he was going to divorce Ashley Flynn in a conversation on Feb. 15, promising “actions will come tomorrow.”
• MORE: ‘Crybaby’ Caleb Flynn suddenly out of tears as his lover testifies in his murder trial: ‘I hate him’

DAY 3 – 9/22/26

• LIVESTREAM: OH v. Caleb Flynn – Day 3 | American Idol Murder Trial
• Officer Will Roberts, Tipp City Police Department
  • Took photos, DNA and fingerprints from Caleb Flynn at the Tipp City Police Department.
  • Took photos of the defendant’s arms and hands, did not see anything out of the ordinary.
  • Was not asked to swab for gunshot residue.
• Jill Smith, Ashley Flynn’s mother
  • She thought her daughter’s marriage was good, but said it may have been strained for the last six months.
  • Ashley Flynn did not confide in her about her marriage.
  • On Feb. 16, she received a phone call from Caleb Flynn at 3 a.m. saying that her daughter was dead after an intruder broke into the house.
  • She drove to the Flynn home; Caleb Flynn came out and hugged her.
• Kayla Keyt, Ashley Flynn’s sister
  • Thought of Caleb Flynn as a brother and saw him daily because he worked in the family business.
  • She worked as the accountant and bookkeeper for her family’s business and Caleb Flynn was a salesperson. Her father said he planned to give the business to her and her sister, split 50/50.
  • She put together a spreadsheet using tax returns for the business to show her husband and Caleb Flynn that the business’s future projections had them earning between $300,000 and $400,000 a year.
  • Caleb Flynn told her that the victim was shot by an intruder, but she thought it was weird that the defendant didn’t see the intruder trying to flee and that nothing was stolen.
  • Said the children were shocked to hear about their father’s affair, but when told who the mistress was, the oldest said they were “not surprised.”
• Matthew Keyt, defendant’s brother-in-law
  • Described close friendship and working relationship with the defendant.
  • Said that after his wife was killed, Caleb Flynn expressed fear that the police would take both his kids’ parents away.
• Todd Smith, Ashley Flynn’s father
  • Questioned why the dogs didn’t bark if there had been an intruder and told his wife that things didn’t look good for Caleb Flynn.
• Capt. Tony Smith, Tipp City Police Department
  • Authenticated bank records from Ally Bank for a joint savings account and Citibank credit card account showing a monthly $6.99 charge for “Snoop Report.”
  • Confirmed $10,000 Banner Life Insurance policy on Ashley Flynn with her husband as the sole beneficiary.
• Special Agent David McMullen, ATF
  • Searched around the Flynn home for a weapon but did not find it.
• Andrea Weisenberger, BCI forensic scientist
  • Authored final DNA interpretation report.
  • Key matches to Caleb Flynn were found on the exterior garage doorknob, center console release button, right pocket stain of shorts, master bedroom light switch stain and master bathroom sink handle.
  • Bathroom sink drain tested presumptive positive for blood; there was a DNA mixture consistent with both Caleb and Ashley Flynn.
  • Ashley Flynn was excluded from the stains on Caleb Flynn’s clothing and the master bedroom light switch blood stain.
  • No foreign DNA was found.
• Jared Schultz, BCI lab tech
  • Analyzed fired cartridge casings.
  • Entered cartridge data into NIBIN, which did not yield any matches.
• Alex Miller, BCI firearms examiner
  • Confirmed two 9 mm Luger fired cartridge casings found at the scene were fired by the same gun.
  • General Rifling Characteristics (GRC) search yielded a broad list (50+ pages) of potential gun models, but could not pinpoint a specific make/model without the actual firearm.
• Vicki Bartholomew, BCI latent print examiner
  • Matched palm prints on exterior door frame to Caleb Flynn.
• Kimberly Bingeman, neighbor
  • Observed a camera mounted on the top right corner of the Flynns’ door in December 2025.
  • Confirmed her own home motion cameras and vocal Corgi dogs did not register any unusual motion or barking on the night/early morning that Ashley Flynn was killed.
• MORE: ‘Crybaby’ Caleb Flynn’s in-laws were at odds over whether his story made any sense

DAY 2 – 9/21/26

• LIVESTREAM: OH v. Caleb Flynn – Day 2 | American Idol Murder Trial
• Senior Special Agent David Hammond, BCI
  • Arrived at the home and processed the exterior, garage, living areas and master bedroom.
  • North garage side door damage was inconsistent with a true forced-entry burglary: there were no tool/pry marks, latch/deadbolt function was intact and wood chips were located inside the garage as if the door had been damaged while it was open.
  • Identified Ashley Flynn on the bed in black pajamas on her left side; her positioning was consistent with being asleep when she was shot.
  • Two WCC 9 mm fired cartridge casings were found on the bedroom floor.
  • A box fan was running on high against the south wall.
  • A fired bullet and jacket fragments were found inside the victim’s pillow batting.
  • No blood spatter was found on Caleb Flynn’s clothing; no murder weapon was recovered.
• Holly Ryczek, crime scene technician
  • Outlined role assisting in processing the scene, specifically focusing on swabbing touch DNA and executing 3D digital scans of the home’s floor plan.
  • Tested master bedroom sink and shower drains and light switches with tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). The light switch tested presumptively positive for blood. Sink and shower drains tested negative.
  • Collected touch DNA swabs from the primary bedroom door handles, master bathroom sink handles and center console release latch of the Ford F-150.
  • Confirmed observation that damaged door was inconsistent with forced entry.
• Dr. Bryan Casto, forensic pathologist
  • Performed the autopsy of Ashley Flynn on Feb. 17, 2026.
  • Cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds to the head.
  • Described two closely positioned entrance gunshot wounds to the back right side of the head that shared an entry margin and traveled parallel paths exiting the frontal skull/scalp.
  • Recovered one full metal jacket bullet from the victim’s left elbow area, explaining it as a reentry wound where the bullet exited the skull and reentered her arm.
  • Toxicology findings revealed Prozac and exogenous melatonin.
  • Formal range of fire was listed as “indeterminate” due to absence of soot, stippling or thermal burns.
• Detective Adam Bernard
  • Detailed investigative actions, including canvassing neighboring houses and collecting physical items (Ashley Flynn’s iPhone, toolbox hammer and Blink camera).
  • Described extensive, unsuccessful searches for the firearm.
  • Contacted approximately 24 gun stores in South Carolina attempting to locate 4473 ATF form records for Caleb Flynn.
• Officer Luke Veldman
  • Prepared more than 30 search warrants and eight subpoenas.
  • Authenticated search warrant returns.
• MORE: Pastor cries as detective describes how his wife was ‘lying still’ when she was shot to death in her bed

DAY 1 – 9/18/26

• LIVESTREAM: OH v. Caleb Flynn – Day 1 | American Idol Murder Trial
• Prosecutor Paul Watkins delivered the opening statement for the state.
  • Caleb Flynn was having a years-long affair with a mistress and frequently texted her about hating his wife and wanting her dead.
  • The defendant called 911 to report that an intruder shot his wife, but there was no evidence found to support that.
  • A 9 mm gun normally found in the defendant’s truck was missing.
• Emily Smith delivered the opening statement for the defense.
  • Conceded that the defendant had an affair, but said that evidence of an affair does not equate to any criminal activity or evidence of murder.
  • The investigation was rushed and prejudiced toward the defendant after police learned of the affair.
• Jurors toured the Flynn home.
• Beth Hall, Miami County Communications Center keeper of records
  • Detailed technical procedures concerning 911 calls.
  • Authenticated the 911 call Caleb Flynn placed.
• Sgt. Corey Miller
  • First police officer to arrive at the scene; Caleb Flynn was standing outside, and he said his wife had been shot twice and that his two daughters were asleep upstairs.
  • Found Ashley Flynn dead in bed with significant trauma to the back of her head and two spent shell casings on the floor.
  • Acknowledged his body camera failed to record due to a system malfunction.
• Officer Alexandra Giampapa
  • Assisted in clearing the residence and garage.
  • Observed an open side door in the garage and noted the truck’s console and glove compartments were open.
  • The defendant said he had long guns and a handgun in his truck.
  • Authenticated her body camera video, which captured the defendant’s emotional state.
• Alex Huels, firefighter/paramedic
  • Assessed Ashley Flynn and observed penetrating trauma to her head; she was not breathing and had no pulse.
  • Believed the death was recent.
• Officer Hunter Bradburn
  • Dispatched to the scene as a drone pilot, where he conducted aerial imaging and thermal grid searches over Flynn’s property and neighboring areas.
  • No fleeing thermal signatures were identified.
• Deputy Dave Laycock, K9 handler
  • Deployed to track potential suspect trails from the residence; a scent track was initiated at the side garage door, but the K9 consistently pulled back toward the interior of the garage rather than away from the property.
  • Conducted perimeter searches but did not find any scent trail leading off the property.
• Special Agent Michael Tom, FBI
  • Supervised a team of agents conducting neighborhood canvasses across more than 80 homes between Feb. 17 and 19.