Caleb Flynn, former “American Idol” contestant and pastor, found guilty in wife’s murder

Updated on: September 29, 2026 / 4:03 PM EDT / CBS News

Caleb Flynn, the former "American Idol" contestant and pastor, has been found guilty of murder in the killing of his wife, Ashley, after he tried to pin the blame on an intruder breaking into his home in February.

Prosecutors said Flynn, 40, shot his wife twice in the back of the head while she was asleep in bed on Feb. 16. They allege he then staged their Tipp City, Ohio, home to mimic a break-in and called 911 to claim an intruder was responsible for the murder. The gun used in the shooting has not been recovered.

Flynn had claimed he was in another room when his wife, 37, was killed.

In damning testimony, Alleigha Botner, 24, who had an affair with the defendant, testified over two days about the tens of thousands of text messages the two shared, including some in which he allegedly wrote he wanted his wife dead.

Botner testified to a roughly 18-month sexual affair with Flynn, whom she met when she was an intern at his church. She described how the two hid their messages, admitted to lying to the FBI at first…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/