Caleb Flynn, Former ‘American Idol’ Contestant and Pastor, Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Murder of His Wife

Caleb Flynn, former “American Idol” contestant and pastor who was sentenced last week for the murder of his wife, a crime he tried to blame on an intruder who broke into their home, was sentenced to life without parole Monday in Ohio.

Flynn did not take the stand in his defense during the trial, but he proclaimed his innocence before being convicted.

“I have unfortunately lied about a lot of things over the last two years, 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,” Flynn said. “I will continue to fight for my innocence as long as the Lord allows me, because I did not kill my wife.”

Miami County Common Pleas Judge Jeannine Pratt said the jury’s guilty verdict in the case left her with “a clear and obvious conclusion.”

“Your actions, Mr. Flynn, were heinous,” Pratt said. “The levels of deception, manipulation, and cruelty that you have demonstrated are honestly impossible to comprehend, and frankly, sir, you have used your faith to manipulate the lives of others.”

Prosecutors said Flynn shot his wife, Ashley Flynn, 37, twice in the back of the head as she slept in his bed on February 16. They alleged he then staged their Tipp City, Ohio, home to fake a break-in and called 911 to claim an intruder was responsible for the murder.

Caleb Flynn had claimed he was in another room when his wife was killed.

Flynn was convicted of nine counts in total, including aggravated murder and three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and three counts of tampering with evidence. The aggravated murder charge is the one that carries the life sentence, and five other charges, including the three murder charges, were included in that sentence. Flynn was also sentenced to three years in prison for each of the evidence tampering charges, three years each for two separate firearm enhancements, and an additional year for a third firearm enhancement.

Caleb Flynn Texted: ‘I Need Her To Die’

During the trialAlleigha Botner, 24, who said she had an affair with the defendant, testified about tens of thousands of text messages the two men shared, including some in which he wrote that he wanted his wife dead.

Botner testified about an approximately 18-month sexual affair with Caleb Flynn, whom she met while an intern at his church. She described how the two men hid their messages, initially admitted to lying to the FBI and explained how she lost her phone and laptop just weeks before Ashley’s death.

When asked what she thought of Flynn today, she replied, “I hate him.”

In the texts, many of which were read in court, Caleb Flynn repeatedly said he wished Ashley Flynn was dead.

“I need her to die, to cheat again, to leave,” Caleb Flynn wrote to Botner about his wife on February 11, 2025, almost exactly a year before she was shot. FBI Special Agent Andrea Kinzig, who testified at the trial, said she found no evidence on Ashley Flynn’s phone that she was having an affair, as Caleb Flynn had told Botner, according to her testimony.

A few weeks later, Caleb Flynn texted Botner: “I hate her too and want her gone.” On March 24, 2025, Botner wrote: “What can I do? and he replied, “Kill her.”

Caleb Flynn once texted Botner: “I was up until 4 a.m. last night… trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail. If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat.”