Former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn broke down in court Tuesday as a jury convicted him of murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, after prosecutors said he staged a burglary to cover up the killing.
The 40-year-old pastor was found guilty on nine counts, including aggravated murder, murder, and tampering with evidence. He faces sentencing October 5.
Prosecutors said Caleb, nicknamed the “Crying Pastor” due to his many weeping episodes throughout the trial, shot Ashley, 37, twice in the back of the head. At the same time, she slept in their Tipp City, Ohio, home on February 16. He later called 911 claiming an intruder had killed her. The trial exposed an 18-month affair between Caleb and former church intern Alleigha Botner, 24.
“I need her to die, to cheat again, to leave,” Caleb wrote about Ashley in a February 2025 text introduced as evidence.
The night before the killing, he messaged Botner, “It’s happening” and “about to be free.”
His attorneys maintained that Caleb was innocent and questioned the prosecution’s evidence. Defense attorney Patrick Mulligan said he anticipates an appeal.
Caleb previously competed on Season 12 of American Idol, where he publicly praised his wife.
“I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty,” he said during his appearance.
Ashley’s family welcomed the verdict while mourning the mother they lost.
“No verdict can bring Ashley back, give the girls back their mother, or erase the pain our family has endured,” they said in a statement.