Caleb Flynn promised during his emotional sentencing hearing that he would keep fighting to prove his innocence. He has now taken the first formal step toward doing so.
Flynn’s lawyers submitted a notice of appeal to Ohio’s Second District Court of Appeals on Oct. 7, court records reviewed by Oxygen show. The filing came only two days after Flynn was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The former American Idol contestant was found guilty on nine charges, including the aggravated murder of his wife, Ashley Flynn. He has also asked the court to appoint an attorney to represent him during the appeal.
Oxygen contacted Flynn’s trial lawyer, L. Patrick Mulligan, for a response but had not received an answer at the time of publication.
The appeal request follows Flynn’s forceful statement in court, where he maintained that he was not responsible for his wife’s shooting.
“As I stand here before God, who is my ultimate judge, I did not kill my wife,” Flynn said during the hearing, according to WKEF. “I will continue to fight for my innocence as long as the Lord allows me to.”
After Ashley was found fatally shot in the early morning hours of Feb. 16, Flynn told investigators that a stranger had entered the home and killed her while she slept. Ashley was a school volleyball coach and the mother of two children.
Prosecutors presented a different account, arguing that Flynn killed Ashley because he wanted to end their marriage while involved in an affair with another church worship leader. The state pointed to text messages exchanged between Flynn and the woman that discussed their wish for Ashley to no longer be part of their lives. Prosecutors also said investigators found no convincing signs that an intruder had been inside the home.
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The jury deliberated for slightly more than two hours before returning guilty verdicts, according to NBC News.
What Happens Next For American Idol’s Caleb Flynn?
While the appeal moves through the courts, Flynn will remain in the Ohio prison system under his life sentence.
JoEllen Smith, chief of communications for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, told Oxygen on Oct. 8 that Flynn was being held at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, where he was completing the initial intake process.
Under the department’s reception admission procedures, that process includes fingerprinting, photographs, DNA collection and medical, dental and mental health evaluations.
Flynn will also receive state-issued prison clothing and an inmate handbook before being transferred to the facility where he will serve his sentence.
Officials have not yet disclosed which Ohio prison will become Flynn’s permanent assignment following his classification.
A newly released prison photograph shows Flynn appearing solemn in a navy uniform as he stands in front of a yellow background.
Flynn’s oldest daughter also indicated that she does not intend to visit him in prison. In a sentencing letter read aloud in court by a relative, she wrote, “by the way, I don’t plan on coming to see you.”