Former American Idol contestant accused of killing wife breaks down after alleged affair messages are read in court
A former American Idol contestant accused of killing his wife cried in court as prosecutors made bombshell claims about a years-long affair.
Caleb Flynn, who appeared on American Idol in 2013, is facing charges of murder relating to the fatal shooting of his wife Ashley at their Ohio home in February this year.
His trial opened on Friday (19 September) with statements from Miami County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Watkins.
Watkins told the jury that Flynn, 40, had written 100,000 to a woman he had been having an affair with, CNN reports.
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The prosecutor also claimed that in some of these messages, Flynn wrote about killing his wife.
Watkins claimed that Flynn had messaged the woman saying: “If I could literally kill her and not go to hell I would do it in a heartbeat. That is how dark and hateful I feel.”
“Those words tell you what this case is about: motive, intent and the truth behind the lies Caleb told after his wife, and the mother of his two young daughters, was shot to death in their home,” Watkins told the court.
Flynn’s defence team have admitted to the affair but say the prosecution's case is built on theory and speaking prior to the trial getting underway his defence lawyer Patrick Mulligan told CNN he was ‘looking forward to trying the case’.
“We’ve been waiting for this,” he added.
Speaking in court, his defence lawyer Emily Smith said: “The only thing that we know is that Caleb had an affair.
“The state of Ohio has pinned its entire case on the flawed claim that simply because Caleb Flynn had motive to leave his wife, that he instead murdered her and manipulated the scene.”
She said that at times her client said ‘ugly, hurtful, selfish things about his wife Ashley to appease his mistress’ but said the evidence will also show ‘a warm and loving text message between Caleb and Ashley regularly’.
Ashley was shot and killed in the early hours of 16 February inside the home she shared with Flynn and their two daughters.
Flynn told investigators working on the case that an intruder had broken into their home and shot his wife.
During evidence in court, the 911 call Flynn was played, during which he became visibly emotional.
In the audio, Flynn tells the dispatcher: “Somebody broke into my home – somebody broke into my home and shot my wife.
“My wife, she’s got two shots to her head. There’s blood everywhere. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”
Flynn has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence.
If the jury finds him guilty of the most serious charge, he could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Flynn appeared on the 12th season of American Idol, where he credited his late wife Ashely with encouraging him to apply.
In an interview during his brief stint on the show, he said: "I love my wife more than anything.
"She's very, very pretty, just - woof, I love her."
The trial, which is expected to last around two to three weeks, continues.
Claire Reid