Former “American Idol” contestant Caleb Flynn has been convicted of murdering his wife after prosecutors said he staged a fake break-in at their home in Tipp City, Ohio, to conceal the killing.
Flynn, 40, was found guilty on all nine charges, including aggravated murder, three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and three counts of tampering with evidence. Jurors also found that firearms specifications applied to several of the offences. ([cbsnews.com](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/caleb-flynn-murder-trial-verdict-american-idol-wife/))
He is due to be sentenced on 5 October and could face life in prison without the possibility of parole. Flynn became visibly emotional as the verdicts were read, closing his eyes and shaking his head before breaking down after the jury was dismissed. ([cbsnews.com](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/caleb-flynn-murder-trial-verdict-american-idol-wife/))
Caleb Flynn murder trial
Prosecutors said Flynn shot Ashley Flynn, 37, a schoolteacher and volleyball coach, in the back of the head while she was asleep at the family home on 16 February. They alleged he then arranged the property to make it appear that an intruder had entered and called emergency services claiming a burglar was responsible.
The weapon used in the shooting has not been recovered. Flynn maintained that he was in another room when his wife was killed and that an intruder had carried out the attack. ([cbsnews.com](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/caleb-flynn-murder-trial-verdict-american-idol-wife/))
The prosecution argued that Flynn wanted to end his marriage while preserving his relationship with his mistress, access to his two daughters and his position at his wife’s family business. A woman who said she had been having an affair with him testified that he had spoken about hating Ashley and wanting her dead.
Jurors heard messages exchanged between Flynn and Alleigha Botner, who said she met him while working as an intern at his church. One message, sent months before the killing, said he had spent the night thinking about ways to kill his wife without going to prison, according to evidence presented at trial. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/d2a4d31d28e6ad2a4c057312bbbfa0c5))
Flynn’s lawyers acknowledged the affair but argued that infidelity was not proof of murder. They pointed to the absence of a recovered gun or forensic evidence showing that Flynn had fired the weapon, while also challenging aspects of Botner’s evidence.
Flynn appeared on “American Idol” in 2013, where he told viewers that Ashley had encouraged him to pursue his ambitions as a singer. He auditioned before Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson and Nicki Minaj but did not progress to the main Hollywood competition. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/d2a4d31d28e6ad2a4c057312bbbfa0c5))
