His wife encouraged his ‘American Idol’ dream. Now he stands trial for her murder

By Nicki Brown, CNN

(CNN) — About 13 years ago, “American Idol” contestant Caleb Flynn gushed about his wife Ashley, who he said encouraged him to audition for the 12th season of ABC’s singing competition.

“I love my wife more than anything,” he said in an interview during his brief stint on the show. “She’s very, very pretty, just – woof, I love her.”

On Thursday, Flynn will stand trial for her murder, as investigators allege the former music pastor fatally shot his wife of almost 16 years and staged the crime scene to make it appear she was killed by an intruder.

Flynn, 40, was arrested in February, days after he frantically called 911 to report someone broke into their Tipp City, Ohio, home and killed his wife – a beloved middle school volleyball coach – while he was in their daughters’ bedroom.

“We’re looking forward to trying the case,” his defense attorney, Patrick Mulligan, told CNN Tuesday. “We’ve been waiting for this.”

Flynn has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence and witness intimidation.

The murder trial, which is slated to last about two weeks, begins with jury selection on Thursday. During the proceedings, the jurors are expected to visit the family’s home to view the crime scene and hear testimony from several of Ashley’s family members – including the couple’s preteen daughters, who are crucial to their father’s presumed alibi.

Prosecutors have provided scant details about the investigation and have not yet offered a purported motive for the killing or described the alleged “cover up” – key components jurors will likely consider during their deliberations.

“It will become apparent what the status of the evidence is as things go on,” Mulligan told CNN, adding he didn’t believe the prosecution would be able to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. He previously suggested authorities had made a “rush to judgment” in arresting his client.

“When the government runs out of leads or can’t develop leads and looks at a surviving spouse in cases such as these, the chance of a wrongful conviction increases,” the defense attorney said in a statement to The Associated Press shortly after Flynn’s arrest in February.

If the panel convicts Flynn of the most serious charge, he could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Weeks before the trial’s start, Judge Jeannine Pratt denied a defense motion to change the venue of the trial and a motion from prosecutors to sequester the jury, with both parties arguing the high public interest in the case could jeopardize the impartiality of the panel.

The court will impose additional measures to ensure jurors are impartial, Pratt wrote in her ruling, and may reconsider the parties’ requests if any issues arise while seating the jury.

‘There’s blood everywhere’

In the early morning hours of February 16, Ashley was shot and killed inside the suburban home she shared with her husband and their two daughters.

Caleb Flynn told investigators he was sleeping in the living room that night because he had a bad cough, according to a conversation captured on police body-worn cameras. He woke up when he heard one of their dogs moving, he said, and assumed one of the children had gotten out of bed.

“I went in their room, and I laid down with them for – I don’t even know how long, and that’s when I heard it,” Flynn told the officers, saying he “froze” when he heard a gunshot.

“When I finally got up, the door leading to the garage was open, but I didn’t see anybody,” he said.

In a 911 call around 2:30 a.m., Flynn reported an intruder had broken into the house and shot his wife.

“My wife, she’s got two shots to her head. There’s blood everywhere,” he said breathlessly. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”

Footage from police body cameras showed first responders rushing into the family’s home shortly after and clearing the house with their guns drawn.

“We have a lady with a gunshot wound to the head in her bed,” one officer said. “We got gun casings on the floor. The husband’s here and the kids are here.”

While searching through the garage, police noted a door leading outside was open, as was the center console in a parked truck. Flynn told investigators he had a few guns in the house, including a handgun he stored in his truck, according to the footage.

As officers secured the scene over the next hour, police bodycam footage captured Flynn sobbing, calling loved ones and appearing to vomit. When Ashley’s mother arrived at the home, he fell to his knees, wailing, before they embraced on the front lawn.

“The girls don’t know, the girls are sleeping,” Flynn said as he hugged her. “I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do.”

“I don’t know what to do either,” the grandmother said through tears. “I’m just – I’m in shock.”

Police led astray by ‘staging of the crime scene,’ they say

That night, Flynn agreed to go to the police station to provide a statement about the incident, the bodycam footage shows. “You’ll be riding up front with me,” an officer told him as he pointed to a nearby car.

Three days later, Flynn was handcuffed in the back of a police vehicle on his way to the Miami County Jail, where he’s been held since his arrest. His bond was set at $3.5 million.

Initial charging documents said officers were at first “lead estray (sic) by the staging of the crime scene,” though authorities have not provided details about the alleged cover-up.

“As a result of the investigation, probable cause existed to charge Caleb Flynn with the murder of his wife,” Tipp City police said in a news release announcing his arrest. “Due to the ongoing nature of this case, specific investigative details will not be released at this time.”

Ashley’s family believes the arrest was made “carefully and not without serious consideration,” according to a statement shared with CNN affiliate WKEF.

“After speaking with both local police and federal authorities, we trust the proper steps were taken and the process is being handled appropriately,” they wrote. “We kindly ask for privacy as we work through this complex situation.”

Friends and family mourn a ‘pillar’ of the community

In the aftermath of her shocking death, the suburban community of Tipp City – just north of Dayton – came together to mourn Ashley, a beloved substitute teacher and volleyball coach.

Ribbons and Bible verses adorned the downtown streets in her memory, and local restaurants donated some of their proceeds to her family, according to CNN affiliate WHIO.

“She was such a pillar to the community,” neighbor Tia Turner told WKEF. “She was one of the first people to welcome us in the neighborhood.”

About a week after her death, Ashley’s friends and family commemorated what would have been her 38th birthday. Her daughters blew out candles on chocolate cupcakes, WKEF reported, and her loved ones released balloons with handwritten messages into the sky.

“We miss her in ways words can’t capture. But we hold tightly to this: Ashley’s life was always about pointing people to Jesus and showing them His love,” her family said in a statement provided to WKEF.

“And her legacy will live on – in her daughters, in her parents, in her sister, and in the many lives she touched and influenced along the way.”

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