Ex-American Idol Contestant Will Die in Prison

A former pastor who sang on American Idol in 2013 will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing his wife and trying to pass it off as a home invasion. An Ohio judge on Monday sentenced 40-year-old Caleb Flynn to life without the possibility of parole for the February shooting death of his wife, 37-year-old Ashley Flynn, at their home in Tipp City, near Dayton, ABC News reports. A jury convicted him last week of aggravated murder, multiple murder counts, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence after prosecutors said he shot his wife twice in the back of the head in bed, then staged a break-in through a garage door.

Judge Jeannine Pratt called Flynn's conduct "abhorrent" and said he posed the "highest risk" to the public, criticizing what she described as "layers of deceit, manipulation and cruelty." Prosecutors said Flynn planned the killing for months to pursue a relationship with a younger mistress, keep his job in Ashley's family business and his position in the church, and benefit from life insurance. They said he coached the couple's two daughters on what to say to investigators, attempting "to use his grieving daughters to reinforce the story he had created to protect himself."

• Flynn, who did not testify at trial, tearfully denied killing his wife in court and vowed to keep fighting his conviction. "I have unfortunately lied about a lot of things over the last couple of years," he said. "But as I stand here before God, who is my ultimate judge, I am not lying when I say I did not kill my wife."

• In victim impact statements, Ashley Flynn's family members described her as a woman of deep Christian faith who loved being a mother. Pratt urged the family to stay "steadfast in your faith," CNN reports. "Carry on Ashley's light in everything you do," the judge said. "She will obviously be missed."
• Flynn sobbed as Ashley Flynn's mother, Jill Smith, read out a statement from his 12-year-old daughter, Alyssa. "You truly don't understand how much you hurt my life and I wish you could feel the pain I have been through," Alyssa said in the statement. "Ashley Flynn was the best thing that ever happened to you. You had the best life ever, and you decided to throw it away for a girl who was half your age." She added: "By the way, I don't plan on coming to see you."