A former music pastor in Ohio who appeared briefly on “American Idol” was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Monday after a jury convicted him of murdering his wife while he was having an affair. Prosecutors said Caleb Flynn, 40, staged a home invasion in February after shooting Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old schoolteacher and volleyball coach, then claimed she was killed by a burglar. In his 2013 appearance on “American Idol,” Flynn told TV viewers about how his wife had encouraged him to chase his dreams on the singing competition. He did not advance to the main competition in Hollywood. With tears rolling down his cheeks, Flynn apologized in court to his family, starting with his two daughters. “I made vows to Ashley on our wedding day. I failed in those vows,” he said. Although he admitted he lied about many things, 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. Miami County Common Pleas Judge Jeannine Pratt said she was deeply disturbed that Flynn used his faith to hide his “deceit” and “lust.” 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?” During closing arguments, prosecutors told jurors that Flynn wanted out of his marriage when he shot his wife at their house in Tipp City, a suburb north of Dayton. The couple’s two daughters were home with their father when police arrived. He sent a text message to his lover the night before the shooting, saying, “I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow,” prosecutors said. During the trial, Alleigha 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. Jurors also heard AI-generated love songs that prosecutors said he made for Botner. Flynn didn’t testify on his own behalf, nor did anybody else. The gun used to kill Ashley Flynn was not found at the scene, and his attorney told jurors that investigators found no evidence that Caleb Flynn fired a gun that day. Prosecutors said his fingerprints and DNA were at the scene and that his devices showed him moving around the house, even though he claimed he was asleep at the time of the shooting. The jury found him guilty of murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence. By Julie Carr Smyth And Patrick Aftoora-orsagos
