Ex-American Idol contestant told lover he dreamed of killing wife, murder trial hears

The Ohio erstwhile pastor and American Idol contestant accused of fatally shooting his woman fantasized to his past person astir sidesplitting his spouse and sent her AI-generated emotion songs, according to grounds presented astatine proceedings this week.

Caleb Flynn, 40, is connected proceedings for aggravated execution successful transportation with the 16 February shooting decease of Ashley Flynn. He besides is charged with 2 counts of felonious battle and 3 counts of tampering with evidence, according to a March indictment. Flynn has pleaded not blameworthy to the charges.

Prosecutors accidental Flynn – motivated by a tendency to beryllium with his girlfriend, Alleigha Botner – changeable his sleeping woman doubly successful the backmost of the head. He allegedly altered the transgression country to look similar a deadly location invasion.

Flynn’s defence squad has acknowledged the affair, but said astatine proceedings it does not marque him a murderer. “A antheral tin marque selfish decisions without committing a crime,” defence lawyer Emily Smith said.

Investigators recovered songs from Flynn’s phone, wherever helium reflected connected his relationship with Botner evolving into a romanticist relationship.

“That archetypal clip I saw you the country disappeared, emotion astatine archetypal show adjacent though I was scared,” a dependable sang successful a benignant reminiscent of Christian rock, according to video broadcast by Court TV. “Life is present empty, since the infinitesimal I mislaid you,” the opus ended.

A 2nd mentation with akin lyrics but delivered successful a somber code was besides played to the court.

Botner was 20 erstwhile she met Flynn astatine their church, Botner testified. Flynn was 36 oregon 37 astatine the time.

“At archetypal it was: I privation her dead. I privation she was gone. And past it was: if I could termination her and not spell to jail, I would. And 1 night, helium was up truly precocious – helium told maine helium was reasoning astir ways to termination her,” Botner, present 24, said.

Flynn besides repeatedly said helium hated his woman successful respective texts to Botner.

During an August 2025 cruise to observe the joined couple’s 15th wedding anniversary, Ashley Flynn recovered texts her hubby had sent to Botner. She tried to put a java meet-up with Botner. Botner avoided the conversation, saying she was busy.

In January, Botner gave Caleb Flynn an ultimatum: permission your woman oregon it’s over.

At astir this time, Flynn sent her the AI-generated songs.

On 14 February, 2 days earlier Ashley was shot, Botner testified that Flynn said helium was getting a divorcement and would yet beryllium escaped of his wife, to which Botner said she did not judge him. “I told him that I don’t spot him and that I’m moving connected with my life,” she said connected the stand.

When Ashley Flynn was recovered dead, her sister Kayla Keyt did not person cognition of the affair. She told constabulary erstwhile Caleb was arrested that they had the incorrect guy. “I trusted Caleb with everything I had successful maine … He was wholly innocent. I truly believed that with each of my heart,” Keyt said.

The FBI subsequently informed her of the affair.

Keyt said quality of the matter made the couple’s 2 daughters “mostly broken-hearted for mommy”.

“They said she loved daddy much than anyone other successful life. So wherefore did daddy not emotion her arsenic much?” she testified.

Flynn appeared briefly connected American Idol’s 12th play successful 2013, describing euphony arsenic his passionateness and saying his woman nudged him to spell connected the show.

The trial, which is expected to wrapper by the extremity of adjacent week, volition resume connected Monday.