DAYTON, OH — Jurors in Ohio heard explosive testimony Wednesday in the murder trial of Caleb Flynn, a former pastor and former American Idol contestant accused of killing his wife and trying to make the crime look like a burglary. His former mistress, Alleigha Botner, told the court that she believes he murdered Ashley Flynn.

Prosecutors say Caleb Flynn shot his 37-year-old wife twice in the back of the head in their bedroom while their two daughters were asleep in the home, then altered the scene to suggest an intruder had broken in. He has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence.

Witness says timing of messages and death felt impossible to ignore

Botner testified that she and Caleb Flynn exchanged a message hours before he called 911 on Feb. 16 to report a burglary and shooting at the couple’s Tipp City home. According to prosecutors, he texted her, “I choose you. I’m free. Actions will come tomorrow.”

She told the jury that she understood that line to mean he planned to speak with his wife about divorce. When she later learned Ashley Flynn was dead, she said the news hit her hard and seemed too coincidental to dismiss.

“In my mind, it seemed like too much of a coincidence that the day he’s divorcing her, she’s just dead all of a sudden,” she said. Botner also testified that her feelings toward Caleb Flynn changed completely because she believes he killed his wife.

A relationship that began at church and turned into a hidden affair

Botner said she first met Caleb Flynn in 2022 while interning at the church where he worked. She testified that their sexual relationship began in May 2024 and lasted for about a year, even though she knew he was married.

She described the relationship as one she never expected to enter, adding that she did not try to excuse it even though she knew it was wrong. Botner also testified that the pair discussed marriage and got matching lightning bolt tattoos, which she said connected to Harry Potter, one of the interests that brought them together.

According to her testimony, Flynn’s tattoo was placed on his armpit because he did not want Ashley Flynn to see it. Botner said that detail reflected how much of the relationship had to stay hidden from his wife.

Texts and audio messages painted a bitter marriage

Botner said Caleb Flynn repeatedly told her that he wanted his wife “gone” or “dead,” and that he used degrading language to describe Ashley Flynn. She testified that he also said he wished he could kill her without being arrested or going to jail.

Jurors were shown and heard portions of more than 100,000 text messages and an audio message Botner said Flynn sent after the couple’s 15th anniversary cruise. In that message, he apologized for going on the trip and for hurting her, while also saying he was still tied to his wife.

Botner told the court she became frustrated when Flynn never left his wife, even after he said he would. She said she told him she was done waiting and would move on if he did not leave by Jan. 11, though he later told her he was divorcing Ashley Flynn and she said she did not believe him.

Court hears about divorce fears and deleted messages

Prosecutors also presented evidence from the day before Ashley Flynn was killed, when Botner said she sent Caleb Flynn screenshots from ChatGPT explaining how divorce works when there is proof of an affair. She testified that he was worried about custody of the children.

Botner said she also sent him images showing how to delete messages from a phone. She told the jury she feared the affair would become public if he divorced his wife, and that she worried about her reputation and job.

“I was afraid that if he got a divorce, that actually would bring up the messages she saw between us,” Botner testified. She said she sent him the screenshots so he could fully erase the texts from his device.

Prosecutors and defense clash over motive and evidence

Miami County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Watkins told jurors in opening statements last week that Caleb Flynn had a strong motive to kill his wife so he could stay with Botner and keep his life intact. Watkins said Flynn would have benefited financially, kept his daughters, preserved his job with Ashley’s family business and retained his role as a worship leader.

The defense has conceded that Flynn sent “ugly, hurtful” messages to Botner, but says he used those words to placate her rather than to plot murder. Defense attorney Emily Smith told jurors that a man can be a bad husband without being a killer.

Defense lawyers also argue there is no direct evidence, such as a firearm, tying Flynn to the shooting, and say prosecutors are relying on “only a theory following an affair.”

Trial pauses with testimony set to continue Thursday

Botner was still reading text messages for the prosecutor when the court recessed for the day. She is scheduled to return to the stand Thursday as the trial continues in Miami County.

Flynn, who once appeared on the 12th season of American Idol, was arrested days after the 911 call from the Tipp City home north of Dayton. Prosecutors say the case centers on whether he killed Ashley Flynn in the bedroom and then tried to create the appearance of a break-in.

The jury has now heard from a key witness in the state’s effort to connect the alleged affair, the text exchanges and the claimed burglary scene. The defense says those details do not prove murder, while prosecutors say they reveal motive and planning.