A former American Idol contestant broke down in an Ohio courtroom Friday as prosecutors laid out their case accusing him of murdering his wife — including disturbing messages they say he sent to a woman with whom he was having an affair.
Caleb Flynn, 40, is standing trial in Miami County on charges stemming from the February 16 shooting death of his wife, Ashley Flynn, 37, inside their Tipp City home.
Flynn has pleaded not guilty.
During opening statements Friday, Miami County Prosecutor Paul Watkins told jurors that investigators uncovered more than 100,000 messages exchanged between Flynn and his alleged mistress in the year before Ashley was killed.
Some of those messages, prosecutors contend, reveal Flynn repeatedly talking about wanting his wife gone.
In one message read in court, Flynn allegedly said he had been “trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail.”
Prosecutors also highlighted an ominous exchange allegedly sent shortly before Ashley’s death.
“I choose you. I’m free,” Flynn allegedly wrote to the woman before adding that “actions will come tomorrow,” according to Court TV’s coverage of the opening statements.
Prosecutors argue those messages help establish a motive and show that Ashley’s killing was planned rather than the work of a mysterious intruder.
The defense, however, is urging jurors not to confuse an affair and ugly private messages with proof of murder.
Defense attorney Emily Smith acknowledged in court that Flynn cheated on his wife and said he had said cruel things about Ashley.
But she argued that prosecutors still must prove who actually fired the shots.
“A man can fail as a husband without being a murderer,” Smith told jurors, according to Court TV. The defense says investigators focused on Flynn after discovering the affair and then tried to make the remaining evidence fit that theory.
That dispute could become one of the biggest issues of the trial.
Prosecutors say Ashley was shot twice in the back of the head while she was lying in bed in what appeared to be a sleeping position. The couple’s children were inside the house at the time.
Watkins told jurors investigators did not find evidence showing an unknown intruder approached or entered the home.
He also said Flynn was known to keep a 9mm handgun in the center console of his vehicle. Investigators later found that compartment open and empty, according to the prosecution.
The alleged murder weapon has not been recovered.
Flynn’s attorneys are expected to emphasize what they describe as the absence of direct or forensic evidence proving Flynn pulled the trigger.
The case began shortly after 2:30 a.m. on February 16, when Tipp City police were dispatched to the Flynn family’s home on Cunningham Court following a report of a burglary and a woman who had been shot.
Flynn called 911 and told the dispatcher that somebody had broken into the house and shot his wife.
Officers arrived and found Ashley dead inside.
A criminal complaint filed in Miami County later accused Flynn of using a 9mm handgun to kill her.
Flynn appeared visibly emotional as his frantic 911 call was played for the jury Friday.
Video recorded by police on the morning of the shooting had previously shown Flynn crying and appearing physically sick as officers investigated the home.
But investigators quickly began questioning the reported home-invasion scenario.
Flynn was arrested on February 19, just three days after Ashley’s death, after Tipp City police said investigators had developed probable cause to charge him in connection with the killing.
The case later expanded significantly.
On March 18, a Miami County grand jury returned an 11-count indictment charging Flynn with one count of aggravated murder, three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, three counts of tampering with evidence and two counts of intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness in a criminal case.
The prosecutor’s office said at the time that a conviction on the aggravated-murder charge could result in life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors have also alleged that Flynn attempted to intimidate a witness during the two days immediately following Ashley’s death. Details surrounding those counts have remained limited publicly, and Flynn has denied the charges.
In an unusual step Friday, jurors were also taken to the Flynn family’s Tipp City home so they could see the location at the center of the case for themselves. The visit followed a defense request that jurors be allowed to inspect the property.
The couple’s daughters and the woman prosecutors identify as Flynn’s mistress are among the witnesses expected to play significant roles in the trial. The mistress has not been charged with wrongdoing.
Flynn’s brief history on national television has brought additional attention to the proceedings.
He appeared on Season 12 of American Idol in 2013, describing himself at the time as a music pastor from Tipp City. He advanced to Hollywood before being eliminated during the early rounds.
An original American Idol video from 2013 still shows Flynn discussing his journey on the show. Watch Caleb Flynn’s original American Idol interview
More than 13 years later, jurors are now being asked to decide whether the former reality-show hopeful murdered the woman he once publicly described as the love of his life — or whether, as his attorneys argue, investigators turned an admitted affair and disturbing messages into a murder case that the physical evidence cannot prove.
The trial is continuing in Miami County Common Pleas Court.
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