Ex-American Idol Contestant Found Guilty of Murder

A former American Idol contestant who called 911 to say an intruder had killed his wife has been convicted of her murder. A jury in Ohio on Tuesday found 40-year-old Caleb Flynn, a worship leader and former pastor, guilty on all counts in the shooting death of his wife, Ashley, earlier this year, ABC News reports. Prosecutors said Flynn shot the 37-year-old twice in the back of the head as she lay in bed on Feb, 16, then staged a break-in to preserve his job at her family's company, collect life insurance, keep custody of their two daughters, and protect his standing in their church, all while pursuing a relationship with his mistress.

Flynn's former mistress, Alleigha Botner, testified against him, saying he hated his wife and had thought about killing her, the AP reports. Jurors heard about more than 100,000 messages between Flynn and Botner. She said that in a May 2025 message, he wrote, "If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat." The defense argued the case was built on circumstantial evidence and only proved an affair, not murder.

• No gun was recovered, but Miami County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Joseph said plenty of evidence "leads straight to the defendant," ABC reports. "You heard the defendant kept a 9mm handgun in his truck console. His truck was parked in the garage. That console was up before law enforcement arrived and the gun was missing," Joseph said. "You heard that Ashley was shot twice in her head with 9mm bullets." Prosecutors said Flynn removed security cameras that would have captured an intruder weeks before the murder. Prosecutors said he claimed he was sleeping when his wife was shot, but his devices showed he had been moving around the house.

Flynn, who did not testify and called no witnesses, wept as the verdict was read. His bond was revoked; sentencing is set for Oct. 5. He could face a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The couple lived in Tipp City, a Dayton suburb, where Ashley Flynn was a substitute teacher and volleyball coach. In his 2013 appearance on American Idol, Flynn described himself as a "music pastor" and told the singing competition's judges that his wife had encouraged him to chase his dreams, the AP reports.