American Idol star Caleb Flynn convicted of murdering his wife in an evil plan to start a new life with his young mistress

American Idol alum and former church pastor Caleb Flynn sobbed in court as the jury found him guilty of the heinous murder of his wife as she slept in their bed, so he could plan a future with his much younger mistress, an Ohio jury decided Tuesday.

The 40-year-old husband and father of two preteen daughters staged a fake break-in at their Tipp City home to cover up the Feb. 16 shooting death of his wife, Ashley, a Miami County jury concluded after deliberating for 2.5 hours.

A weeping Flynn fought to maintain his composure, but tears filled his eyes as he cried while the judge read the guilty verdicts for all 11 charges against him, including tampering with evidence and other related crimes, in addition to aggravated murder – which could land him in prison without the possibility of parole.

“He made a choice. Ashley lost his life,” Ohio State’s Attorney Paul Watkins told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday.

Flynn staged the crime scene to make it appear as if a burglar broke into the couple’s home and shot his 37-year-old wife while he and their two daughters slept, prosecutors argued in court.

Ashley was shot with a 9mm pistol, but the murder weapon was never found. Meanwhile, Flynn’s 9mm pistol was missing from his truck, where he usually kept it.

Flynn hatched the horrific plan after a yearlong affair with Alleigha Botner, 24, whom he met in 2022 when she was a 20-year-old intern at the church where he was a music pastor, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors revealed a trove of more than 100,000 text messages between the lovers. Botner was forced to read messages in court in which Flynn told him he wanted his wife dead and was thinking about how to get away with killing her.

Hours before the murder, Flynn allegedly texted her: “I choose you. I’m free. Action will come tomorrow.”

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Flynn’s lawyers countered that the state had proven he was an adulterous husband who hated his wife — but that didn’t make him a murderer.

“This is a murder case, and it’s really nothing more than that,” defense attorney Patrick Mulligan said, noting that investigators never found the murder weapon and lacked forensic evidence, eyewitness testimony or other direct proof that he was the one who killed his wife.

Flynn, who appeared on the competitive singing show “American Idol” in 2013, then gushed on television about how much he loved his wife, who was a teacher and volleyball coach. Sentencing was set for October 5.