Former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn cried as he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of killing his wife, Ashley Flynn.
Flynn, a former music pastor in Ohio, was previously convicted by a jury on September 29 after they determined he was guilty of murdering Ashley, 37, while he was having an affair with a former intern at his church.
Prior to his sentencing, Caleb, 40, addressed the courtroom and broke down in tears as he apologized to his family for the murder.
“I made vows to Ashley on our wedding day. I failed in those vows,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “I cannot apologize enough.”
While he admitted to lying about many things, Flynn insisted he did not kill his wife.
“As I stand here before God, who is my ultimate judge, I am not lying when I say I did not kill my wife,” he said.
During the trial, prosecutors said that Caleb staged a home invasion in February after he shot Ashley, 37. Following the alleged break-in, prosecutors convinced a jury that Caleb tried to cover up his crime by claiming that Ashley had been killed by a burglar.
For the closing arguments, it was claimed that Caleb wanted out of his marriage when he shot Ashley. The prosecutors added that the couple’s two daughters were home with their father when police arrived at the scene.
The night before he killed Ashley, Caleb allegedly sent a text message to his lover that read, “I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow.”
Former church intern Alleigha Botner, who testified as a key witness for the state, told the court that she met Caleb in 2022 while she was 20 years old. She told jurors that their affair lasted for over one year and claimed Caleb told her that he hated his wife and thought about killing her.
Prosecutors also shared AI-generated love songs with the jury, which they claimed Caleb made for Botner during their affair.
Despite insisting that he’s innocent, Flynn did not testify on his own behalf.
Caleb previously appeared on season 12 of American Idol. While he was cut before the live rounds, he did reveal that Ashley encouraged him to pursue his singing career.
“I absolutely love the Lord. I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty. Just… oof, I love her,” he said during his time on the show, according to Biography.com. “But, you know, I’m just a normal person who absolutely loves to sing more than anything in the world, and I think I have a different sound to my voice.”
