The murder trial of American Idol alum Caleb Flynn began seven months after prosecutors accused him of killing his wife, Ashley Flynn, and manipulating the crime scene.
Caleb, 40, faces one aggravated-murder charge, three murder charges, two counts of felonious assault and three counts of tampering with evidence. Two initial counts of witness or victim intimidation were later dismissed, defense attorney Patrick Mulligan told Oxygen.
Jury selection began Sept. 17 at the Miami County Courthouse in Troy, Ohio. Caleb sat beside his legal team, while Ashley’s father, Todd Smith, watched from the back of the courtroom.
The court summoned 75 potential jurors, and 61 appeared. Twelve jurors are expected to be chosen for the trial.
“We were successful in picking a jury today,” Mulligan told Oxygen.
Judge Pratt said the proceedings, which will be livestreamed, are expected to continue for two to three weeks. Court records indicate that members of Ashley’s family may testify. The Springfield News-Sun reported that potential witnesses include the couple’s 10- and 12-year-old daughters, who were asleep at home when their mother was killed.
“We’re looking forward to trying the case,” Mulligan told CNN on Sept. 15. “We’ve been waiting for this.”
What Is Caleb Flynn Accused of?
Caleb called 911 on Feb. 16 and reported that Ashley, 37, was unresponsive in bed. She was a volleyball coach in Tipp City and also worked as a substitute teacher.
“Somebody broke into my home,” Caleb said in the 911 call obtained by Oxygen, “and shot my wife.”
He told dispatchers that the garage door was “wide open” and pleaded with them to “please hurry,” explaining that his two daughters were sleeping in the house.
“My wife, she’s got two shots to her head. There’s blood everywhere,” Caleb said during the call. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”
Tipp City police body-camera footage reviewed by Oxygen shows Caleb sobbing, vomiting into a trash can and calling his mother.
“Mom, Ashley’s dead,” he said. “Oh my God. Mommy. Mommy, she’s gone. She’s gone.”
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Officers noted in the footage that the garage door remained open. They also saw that the center console of Caleb’s truck was open; he had told police that he stored his gun there.
Investigators soon began to suspect that Caleb had tampered with evidence.
A detective wrote in a statement included in a criminal complaint reviewed by Oxygen that “officers were [led astray] by the staging of the crime scene.”
Caleb Flynn Denies Killing Wife Ashley Flynn
Caleb was arrested Feb. 19 and entered a not-guilty plea.
During a Feb. 20 video hearing from jail, where his bond was set at $2 million, Caleb said, “I just want to take care of my daughters. I’m not a risk.”
At the time, Caleb’s attorney, L. Patrick Mulligan, argued that investigators had reached conclusions too quickly.
“We are both disappointed and concerned about the short timeline and seeming rush to judgment in this case,” Mulligan told Oxygen. “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.”
Tipp City Chief of Police Greg Adkins responded by telling Oxygen that he did not “intend to debate Mr. Mulligan in the media.”
“This investigation has not moved fast,” he added. “Rather, it has progressed at a pace dictated by a thorough and deliberate investigative process.”
Caleb, who appeared on Season 12 of the ABC singing competition, is expected back in court Sept. 18.
Mulligan did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Oxygen.