Former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn has been found guilty of murdering his wife Ashley Flynn at their Ohio home earlier this year.
Flynn, 40, was convicted yesterday (September 29) on charges including murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence. He is due to be sentenced on October 5 and could receive life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
His lawyer Patrick Mulligan described the verdict as “disappointing” and said Flynn plans to appeal.
Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old teacher and volleyball coach, was shot at the couple’s home in Tipp City in February. Flynn initially told police that an intruder had broken into the property and killed his wife while he was elsewhere in the house.
Prosecutors argued that Flynn had instead killed Ashley and staged the scene to look like a home invasion.
During closing arguments, assistant Miami County prosecutor Matthew Joseph said Flynn wanted to leave his marriage but feared losing custody of his daughters, his job at his wife’s family business and his position in the church.
A central part of the prosecution’s case involved Flynn’s affair with Alleigha Botner, whom he had met through the church.
Botner testified about messages exchanged between the pair, including one sent around six months before Ashley’s death in which Flynn wrote: “I was up until 4 a.m. last night crying, literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail.”
The night before the shooting, Flynn also messaged Botner: “I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow.”
Prosecutors said Flynn’s fingerprints and DNA were found throughout the scene, while data from his devices showed him moving around the house during a period when he had told investigators he was asleep. The gun used to kill Ashley has not been found.
Flynn’s defence argued that his affair did not prove he had committed murder and said investigators had not produced evidence showing that he fired a gun that day.
“His being unfaithful doesn’t equal murder,” Mulligan told jurors.
Flynn previously appeared on season 12 of American Idol in 2013, performing in front of Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban.
At the time, he said Ashley had encouraged him to pursue his ambition of appearing on the show.
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