TROY, Ohio (Court TV) — A former pastor and “American Idol” contestant listened in court as his former lover read texts in which the two prayed that his wife would die — right up until she was killed.
Caleb Flynn sheds a tear in court on Sept. 24, 2026. (Court TV)
Caleb Flynn, 40, is accused of murder, aggravated murder and other charges in connection with the shooting death of his wife, Ashley Flynn, 37. Caleb Flynn told police that an intruder broke into his family’s home in the early hours of Feb. 16, 2026, and shot his wife before fleeing.
But prosecutors say there was no evidence of an intruder in the house, and all the clues detectives found pointed to the pastor as a suspect in his wife’s killing. Ashley Flynn was positioned as if she was asleep in bed when she was shot twice in the back of the head. Detectives testified that the side garage door only showed damage in the unlocked, open position — indicating no one had pried or forced it open.
For more than a year before Ashley Flynn was killed, Caleb Flynn had an affair with the worship leader at their church, Alleigha Botner, 24. Botner returned to the stand on Thursday and continued her testimony about the couple’s relationship. Over the course of their affair, Caleb Flynn and Botner exchanged more than 107,000 text messages; Botner read many of them in court.
“I’m sorry, this sucks,” the defendant wrote in one message. “If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat.” Another message read, “Unless she dies, cheats again, or we find a way to get rid of her, she will be around.”
Botner encouraged the conversations, which frequently used derogatory terms for Ashley Flynn. “Please hire someone to take Douche out,” Botner wrote. “I need you in my life. I need you.” Caleb Flynn responded, “So tempting.”
Botner: Life with you and loving you is so easy and just makes sense. I’ve fallen so madly in love. I don’t want to settle for anything less.
Caleb Flynn: We have to get rid of Douche. I love you, you’re my everything. My heart and soul. My best friend, my love, my better half.
Botner: I dont even want to say this in a joking way anymore. We need a solution, Caleb. We need it to be me and you forever. No exceptions.
Caleb Flynn: I’ve never joked about it.
The messages had recurring themes: Botner would set a deadline by which the defendant needed to leave his wife. When Caleb Flynn missed the deadline, the relationship would sour, then pick back up again. Caleb Flynn frequently said he was asking God for help by praying and fasting in search of answers.
Alleigha Botner testifies on Sept. 24, 2026. (Court TV)
On Feb. 14, 2026, two days before Ashley Flynn was killed, the defendant messaged Botner to say he was “free” but “shouldn’t text or leave any trails.” In a conversation that continued on Feb. 15, Caleb Flynn told Botner he had finally told his wife he wanted a divorce and planned to inform his in-laws on Feb. 16. In texts to Botner, Caleb Flynn said he had practiced what he would say to the two daughters he shared with his wife, saying he would tell them that the divorce was a result of their mother’s alleged infidelity. “I’m just going to be truthful with the girls,” he said in a message. “It won’t be graphic, but we’ll say that Ashley sinned and betrayed any trust or loyalty. We’ll read them the Bible verse about a man leaving because of this. I’ll be much more sensitive to them, but just have to be honest with them.”
Botner’s final deadline to Caleb Flynn was Jan. 11; by Feb. 16, Botner had made clear that she was no longer in a relationship with the defendant, who was repeatedly asking for another chance. “Alleigha, I love you,” he wrote. “If you give me just one more chance, I’ll love you until the day you die. I’ll show you that love is real and love does last.”
Asked how she felt about the defendant on Wednesday, Botner said simply, “I hate him.”
In court on Thursday, Caleb Flynn shed a single tear as Botner read the texts. The defendant is known for his emotional displays; he sobbed on the first two days of his trial, and in an interview during his appearance on Season 12 of “American Idol,” he described himself as “kind of a crybaby.”
