TROY, Ohio (Court TV) — A judge has ruled that two children who will likely be called as witnesses in a murder case must be within sight of their father — the accused killer — as they testify.
Caleb Flynn appears in court for a pretrial hearing on April 10, 2026. (Court TV)
Caleb Flynn, 39, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and tampering with evidence in the death of his wife, Ashley Flynn, 37.
At a pretrial hearing in April, prosecutors asked Judge Jeannine Pratt to grant their motion to invoke rights for the child witnesses who will likely testify at Caleb Flynn’s trial. Those rights allow a judge to order protective measures for a child witness, which could include a screen to prevent the child from seeing the defendant, the public, or both.
While the defense was willing to stipulate to the need to call the two children, ages 9 and 12, Caleb Flynn’s attorneys said that any precautionary measures like those suggested by prosecutors, “without individualized findings that such measures are necessary,” would violate the defendant’s constitutional right to confront his accusers.
In an order released more than two months after hearing arguments on the issue, Pratt said that other courts have ruled that “procedures limiting face-to-face confrontation must be supported by specific demonstrating necessity in a particular case.” At the April hearing, prosecutors presented no evidence or testimony in support of their motion, which did not provide any specific reasoning for the request.
“There has been no showing that testifying in the presence of the defendant would cause trauma, impair the child’s ability to communicate, or otherwise justify deviation from standard confrontation procedures,” Pratt wrote in her order denying the motion. “The absence of any evidentiary basis for such findings is fatal to the State’s motion.”
Caleb Flynn called 911 on Feb. 16, 2026, to report that there was a burglary in progress at his home and that his wife had been shot. Officers conducted a thorough investigation before they said they determined that there had been no break-in, and Caleb Flynn had pulled the trigger and shot his wife himself. The couple’s two children were asleep in the home at the time.
Before his arrest, Caleb Flynn previously appeared on the 12th season of the reality TV show “American Idol,” and he described himself as a “music pastor.” Describing Ashley, he said in an interview at the time, “I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty; I love her.”
Caleb Flynn is expected back in court in August for a motions hearing to discuss any outstanding issues before his murder trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 17.
