Caleb Flynn, a music worship leader who competed on season 12 of American Idol, has been convicted of killing his wife and staging the scene.
On Tuesday, Sept. 29, a jury in Troy, Ohio, found the 40-year-old musician guilty on all counts in the murder of Ashley Flynn.
In video streamed live by Court TV, Caleb sobbed and wiped away tears as he heard one guilty verdict after another.
According to the Dayton Daily News, he faced nine charges — one count of aggravated murder, three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and three counts of tampering with evidence.
There were previously more charges, but the prosecution agreed to dismiss two misdemeanor counts of intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness, because his two daughters, ages 12 and 10, did not testify.
Ashley Flynn, 37, was found dead inside the couple’s home in Tipp City, Ohio, on Feb. 16, as previously reported.
Her husband called 911 and claimed an intruder had opened fire on the mother-of-two.
“Somebody broke in my home and shot my wife!” Flynn said. “Please, please hurry, please hurry. My wife is dead. She’s got two shots to her head.”
Ashley worked as a volleyball coach and substitute teacher in the Tipp City school system.
Her husband was taken into custody on Feb. 19, three days after the shooting. Police accused him of pulling the trigger and “staging the crime scene” to make it look like a burglary. The FBI assisted with the investigation.
Flynn pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence.
His former mistress, 24-year-old Alleigha Botner, testified that he hated his wife.
“I was up until 4 a.m. last night crying, literally thinking of ways to kill her and not go to jail,” Flynn wrote in a message to Botner on Aug. 22, 2025.
CNN reported the two exchanged more than 100,000 messages between 2024 and early 2026 during their affair. They communicated up to 300 times a day via iMessage, WhatsApp and GroupMe.
According to testimony described by CNN, Botner pressed him to leave his wife, but he refused because of his two daughters, his job and reputation.
At one point, he asked Botner to help him get rid of his wife. “What can I do?” Botner wrote on March 24, 2025. “Kill her,” Flynn responded.
In August 2025, Ashley found out about the affair when she discovered text messages during a cruise celebrating the couple’s 15th wedding anniversary.
His girlfriend became frustrated that he would not leave his wife and told him to stop contacting her in January 2026. A short time later his wife was dead.
Flynn had his bond revoked Tuesday, and was taken into custody immediately after the verdict. He will be sentenced on Oct. 5 at 3 p.m.
He competed on American Idol in 2013, but did not make it past Hollywood Week. In his audition video, he said he was a devout Christian.
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