Jurors in an Ohio murder trial struggled to keep their composure when they were played a computer-generated love song allegedly written by former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn for his mistress.
Flynn, 40, a church leader, is accused of killing his wife, Ashley Flynn, in a plot prosecutors say would have allowed him to pursue a relationship with Alleigha Botner, a 24-year-old woman from his congregation.
Ashley was shot in the couple’s bedroom on February 16. Flynn called police at about 2.30am and reported that an intruder had entered their Ohio home.
But a courtroom camera showed jurors biting the inside of their cheeks and covering their mouths as the song was played. Its lyrics included: “Age never mattered, when it was you and me.”
Another line said: “We danced on the edge of a life we could choose, so close to forever, so much left to lose.”
Evidence in the Ohio murder trial
Botner, who had been involved with Flynn for about a year and a half, testified that he hated his wife. She read aloud messages in which he allegedly discussed killing Ashley.
One text stated: “I was up until 4am last night crying, literally thinking of ways to kill her and not go to jail.”
Prosecutors have said the song and the messages point to a romantic motive. They have also alleged a financial motive, arguing that Ashley’s death would have allowed Flynn to keep his job, his income and custody of the couple’s two daughters.
Ashley had discovered the affair after finding messages between Flynn and Botner during a cruise marking the couple’s 15th wedding anniversary in 2025, prosecutors said.
Flynn worked for his father-in-law’s flooring and furnishing business and earned about $200,000 a year, Ashley’s sister told the court. Prosecutor Paul Watkins said a divorce could have put Flynn’s job, children and reputation at risk.
“He’d get to keep his mistress, have his daughters all the time. He would benefit financially, get to keep his lucrative job working for Ashley’s family business, and he’d get to keep his position as a worship leader,” Watkins said.
Flynn told police he had been lying in his daughters’ bedroom when he heard a gunshot. He said he then noticed that a garage side door was open and that the centre console of his truck, where he kept his gun, had also been opened.
He claimed he found Ashley in the bedroom with two gunshot wounds. Several law enforcement investigators have testified that the scene was not consistent with his account.
Alleigha Botner’s evidence
Botner told the court that Flynn had messaged her the day before Ashley’s death, saying he planned to tell his wife he was leaving her and wanted a divorce.
“It seemed like too much of a coincidence that the day he’s divorcing her, she’s just dead all of a sudden,” she said.
She initially lied to the FBI during an interview on February 20, but hired a lawyer and gave a different account six days later. Around 100,000 messages between Botner and Flynn have been recovered for the trial.
Some of the messages included discussions about killing Ashley. In one exchange, Botner wrote: “I want to kill her, Caleb,” to which he replied: “That makes two of us.”
Flynn had also written: “If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat. That’s how dark and hateful I feel.”
Botner’s lawyer described her as young and “naive”. She said she had not believed Flynn was capable of carrying out the killing, but told the court she now believed he was responsible.
“I hate him,” Botner said. “Because I believe that he murdered his wife.”
