The ‘American Idol’ alum and worship pastor’s wife, Ashley Flynn, was found dead in their Ohio home on Feb. 16

NEED TO KNOW

• In September, Caleb Flynn was found guilty of murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, in their Tipp City, Ohio, home while she was sleeping
• The worship pastor and former American Idol contestant told his mistress, Alleigha Botner, that he wanted to kill his wife
• Caleb expressed negative feelings about his wife to Alleigha often and said he’d “sacrifice” his daughters to be with Alleigha

Caleb Flynn, a former American Idol contestant, has been found guilty of murdering his wife Ashley Flynn in her sleep at their Ohio home.

Ashley was pronounced dead in the early morning of Feb. 16 after police were dispatched to her Tipp City, Ohio, home due to reports of a burglary in progress and a shooting, the Tipp City Police Department said in a statement. Caleb and their two daughters, who were 9 and 12 at the time, were also home but uninjured.

Caleb was arrested a few days after and charged with murder, two counts of felonious assault and two counts of tampering with evidence, all of which he pleaded not guilty to. During his murder trial in September, his mistress, Alleigha Botner, among many others, testified. Alleigha, with whom he had an affair for over two years, read chilling texts between her and Caleb in which they both expressed they wanted to see Ashley dead.

On Sept. 29, Caleb was convicted of the charges against him, including aggravated murder. His sentencing will take place on Oct. 5, and he faces up to life in prison without parole, according to NBC News.

Here’s what to know about Caleb Flynn’s murder of his wife, Ashley Flynn.

Caleb Flynn was a worship pastor in Ohio who was previously on American Idol

Caleb briefly appeared as a contestant on season 12 of American Idol. He made it past the audition and early eliminations, but never participated in the live rounds.

In a 2013 American Idol interview, he shared that he’s a music pastor from Tipp City. He went on to explain that he “loves the Lord” and loves his “very, very pretty” wife “more than anything.”

Caleb and Ashley shared two daughters. Ashley was a devoted mother, beloved substitute teacher, dedicated volleyball coach and avid volunteer, according to her obituary. She was also described as “a shining light of joy to all who crossed her path.”

Ashley was fatally shot at their home on Feb. 16

On Feb. 16, Ashley was fatally shot in the head at her Ohio home while she was in bed sleeping. She was found dead in the early morning after police responded to Caleb’s report of a burglary and shooting, per the Tipp City Police Department.

Caleb and Ashley’s daughters were home at the time of the killing, but were uninjured.

Caleb claimed an intruder broke into their home and killed his wife

In a 911 call Caleb made on Feb. 16, he claimed an intruder broke into their home and killed his wife.

In the call obtained by PEOPLE, Caleb broke down multiple times and cried out, “Oh my God.” During his first interview with police, he claimed that he was laying in his daughters’ room when the shooting occurred, per WHIO.

However, in subsequent police interviews, Caleb claimed he was sleeping on the sofa and woke up to gunshot sounds, per NBC News. He also alleged that he saw a man hand his wife an American flag at their home the day before the murder. He said that when this happened, the stranger made a “weird sales pitch for America,” per the outlet.

Caleb was arrested on Feb. 19 and was charged with murder, two counts of felonious assault and two counts of tampering with evidence, according to court records reviewed by PEOPLE at the time. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He was having an affair for more than two years

For several years before Ashley’s murder, Caleb and Alleigha had been having an affair. The 24-year-old was a worship leader at the same church, Christian Life Center, where Caleb led worship, according to testimony from the church’s pastor.

The pair met in the summer of 2022, according to Alleigha’s testimony. Alleigha testified that she did not know he was married when they met because he allegedly didn’t wear a wedding ring.

According to Alleigha, their affair began in March 2024. She said they initially bonded over Harry Potter and eventually got matching tattoos of a lightning bolt on their bodies to honor their shared passion. She said in court that Caleb’s tattoo was inked into his armpit in an effort to hide it from Ashley.

Caleb also allegedly used an AI-generating song app to create songs for his mistress about their relationship, which was uninstalled from his phone in the days before Ashley’s death, according to court testimony from Joseph Wilhelm, a special agent at Ohio BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigation), per WLWT.

His mistress testified in court, among others

During Caleb’s murder trial, Alleigha testified, noting that Caleb expressed negative feelings about Ashley “just about everyday.”

“He would say he hated her, that he wanted her dead, he would say so many awful things,” Alleigha said. She said she also made similar comments back to him.

Alleigha said they called Ashley names including “bitch,” “whore,” “s—” and “spawn of Satan” in their text exchanges. They also often referred to Ashley as “douche” in their messages, per her testimony.

In their conversations leading up to Ashley’s murder, Alleigha gave Caleb several ultimatums to leave his wife, per their text messages read by prosecutors in court. Caleb allegedly said he had been obsessively thinking of ways to kill Ashley and that he was going to go on a 40-day fast to “seek guidance from the Lord” about leaving his wife. He also allegedly said he was willing to “sacrifice” his two daughters to be with Alleigha.

Just hours before the murder, Caleb allegedly sent Alleigha a message that read: “I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow, February 16, a day I’ll never forget.”

Caleb’s daughters were expected to testify behind a partition, rather than in open court, but prosecutors opted not to call them as witnesses, per CBS News.

However, Ashley’s sister Kayla Keyt testified and revealed the kids’ reactions to learning of their dad’s affair. “They said, ‘She loved daddy more than anyone else in life. So why did Daddy not love her as much?’ ” Keyt said, adding that their older daughter wasn’t surprised upon learning that Alleigha was Caleb’s mistress.

Others testified during the trial, which began on Sept. 18, including David Hammond, an Ohio BCI agent. Hammond told the court he did not see any evidence of a struggle or defensive wounds on Ashley’s body, according to the Springfield News-Sun. 

Hammond also said the garage door an intruder allegedly used to break into the home did not show signs of forced entry. The only damage he saw was that the “handle locking mechanism had been broken off,” he testified, and that he believed it happened while the door was open.

He added, “My conclusion was this was a homicide staged to look like a burglary.”

Caleb was found guilty of murdering his wife on Sept. 29

The jury delivered a guilty verdict on Sept. 29 after two hours of deliberation. Caleb was convicted of aggravated murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence. 

His sentencing will take place on Oct. 5, and he faces up to life in prison without parole, according to NBC News.

After the verdict was announced, Miami County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Watkins read from a statement from Ashley’s family. They said the verdict brings “justice and accountability,” but “no verdict can bring Ashley back, give the girls back their mother, or erase the pain our family has endured,” Watkins read, per NBC News. 

He continued, “The cruelty of what happened to Ashley, and the things we’ve been forced to hear and relive, have at times felt unbearable.”

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