The woman accused of having an affair with former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn described their relationship and made startling allegations while testifying against him Wednesday in his murder trial.
Flynn, 40, is charged with killing his wife, 37-year-old Ashley Flynn, inside their home in Tipp City, Ohio, on February 16.
Prosecutors allege that Flynn shot his wife after carrying on a years-long affair and then arranged the home to make it appear that a burglar had broken in.
Flynn has pleaded not guilty. He maintains that an intruder killed Ashley while he slept in a nearby room with the couple’s two pre-teen daughters only a few feet away.
Alleigha Botner, Flynn’s 24-year-old mistress, took the witness stand and revealed new details about the relationship she says they began while he was still married.
Botner testified that she was 20 when she met Flynn at the Christian Life Center in Dayton, Ohio, in 2022. She was working there as an intern, while Flynn, then 36 or 37, volunteered at the church.
During her internship, Botner told jurors, she learned “how to be the best worship leader I could be.”
She said she initially did not realize Flynn was married. After learning he had a wife, Botner said, she heard him complain about Ashley’s family, the Smiths, for whom he worked.
Caleb Flynn’s mistress, 24-year-old Alleigha Botner, testified against him at his murder trial
Flynn, 40, is on trial for allegedly murdering his wife, 37-year-old Ashley Flynn, inside their Ohio home in February
“He told me that he couldn’t stand any of the Smiths. He would say that he hates them,” Botner testified, describing Flynn’s comments about his in-laws.
According to Botner, their relationship turned romantic after she ended a relationship in early 2024 and Flynn began expressing interest in her.
“Caleb expressed that he had feelings for me, and he said that the reason why he thinks it’s okay to have those feelings is because his wife cheated on him two years before 2024,” Botner told the court.
She said Flynn told her he hated Ashley and remained with her only because of their daughters.
“He didn’t show me any proof, but he said that his neighbor witnessed her cheating,” Botner added.
Botner also testified that Flynn repeatedly spoke about hating his wife and that the two of them called Ashley insulting names during their affair.
“He said that he hated her. He wanted her dead. He would say so many awful things along the lines of hating her and wanting her dead,” she said.
“I also said awful things about Ashley. When we first met, he said that she wasn’t worthy of being called her first name, so we referred to her as douchebag.”
Flynn has pleaded not guilty and says a home intruder killed his wife while he slept with the couple’s two pre-teen daughters in a room just feet away
Botner testified that she was 20 when she met Flynn at the Christian Life Center in Dayton, Ohio, in 2022, while she was an intern and he was 36 or 37 and a volunteer
‘He called her bitch, we called her w***e, s**t, a spawn of Satan. I used most of those same names.’
She told the court that she got matching tattoos with Flynn. Hers was on her arm, and his was in his armpit.
‘We got matching tattoos. [We] bonded over Harry Potter and got matching tattoos – a lightning bolt,’ she said.
Eventually, Botner claimed that she gave Flynn several ultimatums and deadlines to leave his wife.
She said: ‘If you don’t leave her by this specific date, then I can’t do this anymore. I can’t be with a married man anymore.’
Botner confirmed that Flynn never met any of the deadlines, and by January 2026, she was ‘done waiting.’
‘If he didn’t leave her by January 11, I told him I would leave him and live a life of purity.’
The pair communicated until February 14, but she chose not to reply to him at least two or three times during that period.
Botner graduated from Graham High School in 2020, located in Saint Paris, about 20 miles outside of Tipp City
Botner also has a YouTube channel where she posted several videos years ago, including some that may have been filmed in the apartment where she conducted her trysts with Flynn
Botner claimed that her relationship with Flynn became romantic after she went through a breakup in early 2024 and he began to show interest in her
On February 15, Flynn confirmed that he would ‘protect’ Botner following the divorce, saying it would be a ‘day she would never forget,’ she testified.
He said that ‘actions were coming tomorrow,’ which Botner determined to mean the divorce.
She testified that she sent him several screenshots of her research on divorce proceedings that included information about custody issues, deleting messages and how Flynn’s wife could prove he cheated.
Their communications ended at 12am on February 16. The last thing Flynn told her was, ‘Good night, tomorrow’s a big day. I’ve got to get to bed. I choose you, I’m about to be free.’
She woke up the next day and said she received a message from someone at church who told her about the shooting.
Botner testified that she texted Flynn: ‘Caleb, what’s going on? Were you involved, is this real?’ after learning of Ashley’s murder.
He did not respond to the messages.
She said she deleted the message afterward. She said that ‘knowing there was a murder involved’ meant the authorities would be searching his phone and would find their texts, and the affair would be uncovered.
The glamorous young woman graduated from Graham High School in 2020, located in Saint Paris, about 20 miles outside of Tipp City.
Local newspapers reported that she was an honor roll student and was in the running for prom queen her senior year.
Social media posts from her family members indicated that Botner was a musician, a performer in the high school band and a member of the choir.
She testified that she attended Highlands College and received an associate’s degree in worship ministry.
Other posts circulating online appeared to show her and Flynn performing together on stage at church.
Botner also has a YouTube channel where she posted several videos years ago, including some that may have been filmed in the apartment where she and Flynn secretly met up.
