Caleb Flynn murder trial: Mistress testifies in Ohio

The murder trial of Caleb Flynn, a former ‘American Idol’ contestant and music pastor, continued in Ohio with testimony from his former mistress, Alleigha Botner. Prosecutors allege Flynn murdered his wife, Ashley Flynn, by shooting her twice in the head while she slept in their Tipp City home on February 16, 2026, before staging a break-in to mislead investigators.

Botner testified to an 18-month affair with Flynn, describing their relationship as passionate but messy. During her testimony, she read from transcripts of over 100,000 text messages exchanged between the pair. These messages allegedly include Flynn expressing hatred for his wife and discussing ways to kill her without going to jail. In one exchange, Botner admitted to saying, ‘I want to kill her, Caleb,’ to which Flynn reportedly replied, ‘That makes two of us.’

Evidence presented in court also included AI-generated love songs Flynn composed for Botner. Flynn has pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated murder, murder, and tampering with evidence. His defense maintains that he intended to divorce his wife rather than kill her and argues that the prosecution lacks a murder weapon to prove his guilt.