Former ‘American Idol’ singer Caleb Flynn is sentenced to life in prison for wife’s murder

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former music pastor in Ohio who appeared briefly on “ American Idol ” was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, after a jury convicted him last week of murdering his wife while he was having an affair.

The judge said Caleb Flynn, 40, used his Christian faith to manipulate others and showed no remorse for actions marked by “layers of deceit, manipulation and cruelty.”

With tears rolling down his cheeks, Flynn apologized to his family just before being sentenced, starting with his two young daughters, who were home when he shot his wife in her sleep. He called their births the “greatest joy in this life.”

Although he said he accepted responsibility for his words and decisions, Flynn remained adamant that he was innocent.

“As I stand here before God, who is my ultimate judge, I am not lying when I say I did not kill my wife,” he said.

Prosecutors said Flynn staged a home invasion in February and claimed a burglar killed his wife, Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old schoolteacher and volleyball coach. In his 2013 appearance on “American Idol,” Flynn credited his wife with encouraging him to chase his dreams on the singing contest. He did not advance to the main competition in Hollywood.

During the trial, Flynn didn’t testify on his own behalf, nor did anybody else.

Family members, including Ashley’s parents, spoke in favor of the harsh sentence Monday, while saying they had forgiven Flynn because they didn’t want her legacy to be hatred.

Her sister, Kayla Keyt, said Flynn’s actions have scarred their entire church community, prompting children to run into their parents’ bedrooms to make sure their fathers haven’t killed their mothers.

As a family member read a statement written by his daughter Ava, Flynn sobbed uncontrollably as a pile of tissues grew on the defense table in front of him. At one point, it appeared he might fall over.

“Mommy was the perfect person,” her statement said. “The absolute perfect person. What did she ever do to you to make you hate her so much?” In her statement, his daughter Alyssa said she wouldn’t visit him in prison.

During closing arguments, prosecutors told jurors that Flynn wanted out of his marriage when he shot his wife at their house in Tipp City, a suburb north of Dayton. He sent a text message to his lover the night before the shooting, saying, “I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow,” prosecutors said.

During the trial, Alleigha Botner testified she met Flynn in 2022 while she was a 20-year-old intern at his church and had an affair with him for more than a year. She told jurors that Flynn said he hated his wife and had thoughts of killing her.

The gun used to kill Ashley Flynn was not found at the scene, and his attorney told jurors that investigators found no evidence that Caleb Flynn fired a gun that day. Prosecutors said his fingerprints and DNA were at the scene and that his devices showed him moving around the house, even though he claimed he was asleep at the time of the shooting.

The jury found him guilty of multiple counts, including murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence.