Caleb Flynn appeared visibly uncomfortable as music he had written for his alleged mistress played in court, prompting Ashley Flynn’s relatives to suppress laughter.
The 40-year-old former American Idol contestant is facing trial over the alleged killing of his wife, 37-year-old Ashley Flynn, who was found dead inside the couple’s Tipp City, Ohio, home on February 16.
According to prosecutors, Flynn fatally shot Ashley after carrying on a years-long affair with 24-year-old Alleigha Botner. They allege he then attempted to make the death appear to be the result of a burglary.
Flynn has denied the accusations and pleaded not guilty. He maintains that an unknown intruder killed Ashley while he slept nearby in another room with the couple’s two pre-teen daughters.
During Thursday’s proceedings, members of Ashley’s family struggled to contain their reactions as artificial intelligence was used to turn Flynn’s handwritten lyrics into complete songs, which were then played for the jury.
Botner had previously told the court that Flynn composed the songs about their romantic relationship.
As the music echoed through the courtroom, Flynn’s ears became noticeably red. He also appeared to repeatedly wipe sweat from his brow.
One lyric read, “So here’s to the third, and the us that we lost,” an apparent reference to the anniversary of the day Flynn and Botner first began communicating.
Caleb Flynn appeared flushed and repeatedly wiped his sweating brow as the songs played during the hearing
Members of Ashley Flynn’s family appeared to stifle laughter as the former singer’s songs were heard in court
Another line stated: “If somewhere you feel this, if somewhere you’re whole, know that you still own every piece of my soul.”
Botner, who has testified for two days during the murder trial, described her relationship with Flynn from the witness stand.
She said she was 20 when she met Flynn at the Christian Life Center in Dayton, Ohio, in 2022. At the time, she was working there as an intern, while Flynn was reportedly 36 or 37.
Botner testified that the relationship became romantic after she ended another relationship in early 2024 and Flynn began expressing interest in her.
She also told jurors that she and Flynn used cruel and derogatory terms when discussing Ashley, referring to her as “spawn of Satan,” “b****” and “douchebag.”
Botner said Flynn claimed to hate his wife, while she repeatedly issued ultimatums and deadlines demanding that he leave Ashley.
She became emotional while acknowledging that she and Flynn had exchanged messages discussing a desire for Ashley to die.
In a message sent to Flynn on July 10, 2025, Botner wrote: “Do you know how badly I want to say, ‘F it,’ to any rules and any barriers and just love you with my entire heart for the rest of my life?”
Prosecutors allege Flynn killed his wife after an affair with 24-year-old Alleigha Botner and tried to disguise the crime as a break-in
Flynn denies the allegations, saying an intruder killed Ashley while he slept nearby with the couple’s two pre-teen daughters
The mistress started to cry and told the court: ‘I just wish I didn’t say this. I didn’t mean it.’
She then continued to read the text message that said: ‘I want to kill her, Caleb. It’s so bad.’
Flynn replied, ‘That makes two of us.’
The pair communicated until midnight on the night of the alleged murder, and 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.
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.’
Botner told the jury that prior to seeing Flynn in the courtroom on Wednesday, the last time she saw him was at Ashley’s parents’ house on February 16, hours after she was killed.
‘The first thing he said to me was, “It didn’t happen the way we thought it would, did it?”‘ Botner testified.
The court concluded for the day after his songs were played for the jury. His trial is set to resume on Friday at 9am ET.
