What to Know About American Idol Alum Caleb Flynn's Murder Trial

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When Caleb Flynn appeared on American Idol 13 years ago, he credited his wife Ashley Flynn with encouraging him to audition.

"I love my wife more than anything," the music pastor from Tipp City, Ohio, said during his season 12 interview. "She is very, very pretty. Just, oof, I love her."

But over a decade after Flynn headed to Hollywood, he’s headed to court—accused of murdering his wife and staging the scene to make it look like she was killed by an intruder. He has denied the allegations against him.

"We’re looking forward to trying the case,” Flynn’s defense attorney, Patrick Mulligan, told CNN Sept 15. "We’ve been waiting for this."

Regarding prosecutors’ arguments, Mulligan added, "It will become apparent what the status of the evidence is as things go on." E! News has reached out to attorneys for both the defense and prosecutions but has yet to hear back.

As the trial begins with jury selection Sept. 17, keep reading to learn more about the case.

When Was Caleb Flynn’s Wife Ashley Killed?

The Tipp City Police responded to a report of a burglary and person being shot at the Flynns' home on Feb. 16 and pronounced Ashley dead at the scene, prosecutors noted in a press release reshared by local outlet The Tippecanoe Gazette.

Ashley—a mom of two, teacher and volleyball coach, was 37, according to her obituary.

In a 911 call, Flynn told a police dispatcher that someone broke into the couple’s home and shot his wife.

“My wife, she’s got two shots to her head,” he cried in audio from the call obtained by Oxygen.com. “There’s blood everywhere!”

While Flynn told the dispatcher he didn’t see anyone inside the house, he said their garage door was “wide open.” He said he had been in the bedroom of the couple’s two daughters when Ashley was shot and that the kids were asleep. The 40-year-old said he then found this wife in her bed and that she was unresponsive.

Miami County Jail

What Have Police Shared About the Murder of Caleb Flynn’s Wife Ashley?

Police later released body cam footage from when officers arrived at the scene. In the footage reshared by Oxygen.com, Flynn can be heard asking one of the authorities, "Is she gone, sir?” The former American Idol contestant can also be seen throwing up, crying and calling both his mother and Ashley’s mother, per the outlet.

"Ashley’s gone," Flynn said during one of the calls. "Someone broke in and shot her. She’s gone."

As police investigated the home, per Oxygen.com, they could also be seen looking in the garage—where they found a door opened as well as the center console of Flynn’s truck, a place he’d told them he’d kept a gun, opened. 

But according to the outlet, a detective said in a criminal complaint, "Officers were [led astray] by the staging of the crime scene."

Footage was also released from when Flynn was at the police station. According to Dayton 24/7 Now, citing a court document, Flynn spoke to police voluntarily and the videos show him being fingerprinted, swabbed for DNA and photographed.

American Idol/YouTube

When Was Caleb Flynn Arrested?

Flynn was arrested and booked in Ohio’s Miami County Jail on charges connecting him to Ashley’s death on Feb. 19, three days after her alleged murder.

"We are both disappointed and concerned about the short timeline and seeming rush to judgment in this case,” his attorney Mulligan said in a statement obtained by Oxygen.com. "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.”

However, Tipp City Chief of Police Greg Adkins told the outlet “this investigation has not moved fast; rather, it has progressed at a pace dictated by a thorough and deliberate investigative process” that involved several agencies.

“I am confident that the case ultimately presented in a court of law will reflect diligence, thoroughness, accuracy, and integrity,” he added. “The family and the community deserve nothing less from our department and the assisting agencies.”

Flynn’s bond was originally set at $2 million but has since been raised to $3.5 million according to online jail records.

What Charges Does Caleb Flynn Face?

On March 18, Flynn was indicted on 11 counts: One count of aggravated murder, three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, three counts of tampering with evidence and two counts of intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness in a criminal case, according to court documents reviewed by E! News.

 "If convicted,” prosecutors said in their press release, "Flynn will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole."

Flynn pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges at his arraignment on March 19, according to outlet WDTN in Dayton, Ohio.

When Was Caleb Flynn on American Idol?

Flynn competed on season 12 of American Idol, which aired in 2013. However, the singer didn’t make it past the first rounds in Hollywood, according to Court TV.

"I auditioned 'cause, I’m sure everybody says it, but music is all I know,” he said in an interview for the show. “It’s what I live to do, and I love to sing. So, that’s why I auditioned—maybe my wife kind of nudged me a little bit too."

(E! and Oxygen.com are both part of Versant).

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