Former worship pastor and ‘American Idol’ alum Caleb Flynn texted his mistress his dark fantasies about killing his wife, according to prosecutors during their opening statements.
Caleb and his wife Ashley, along with their two children, were active members of Christian Life Center. Having auditioned for season 12 of American Idol and received one of a few dozen golden tickets straight to Hollywood, Caleb was involved with the church’s worship team and music ministry.
Ashley was a popular school teacher and taught at Lifewise Academy, a nonprofit that provides Bible-based education to public school students.
In February of this year, Caleb called 911 saying that Ashley had been fatally shot in an apparent home invasion while he and the children slept. In the call, Flynn could be heard frantically screaming, “There’s blood everywhere, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”
Three days later, Caleb was charged with one count of homicide, two counts of felonious assault, and two counts of tampering with evidence in her murder.
During opening statements, Prosecutor Paul Watkins revealed that Flynn had been engaged in a long-term affair and had sent his mistress more than 100,000 text messages in the year leading up to his wife’s death, saying things like:
“I was up until 4 a.m. last night crying, literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail.”
and
“If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat. That is how dark and how hateful I feel.”
On the night before Ashley was murdered, Flynn texted his mistress:
“I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow, February 16, a day I’ll never forget.”
Flynn’s lawyer, Ashley Smith, noted the affair but accused police of zeroing in on Caleb as a suspect as soon as they learned of it, without considering other options or suspects:
“We’re not going to stand here and excuse Caleb for this. Stated plainly, Caleb betrayed Ashley as a husband. Caleb is not on trial for being a bad husband. He’s not on trial for cheating. … A man can fail as a husband without being a murderer, and a man can make selfish decisions without committing a crime.
…The state found their story when they found the affair. Caleb was the most convenient scapegoat for them, and they worked backward. They reached their conclusion first and shoehorned the evidence in after.”
If convicted, Flynn could receive the death penalty.
