At the sentencing hearing for Caleb Flynn, convicted of murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, the couple’s two daughters—ages 10 and 12—spoke publicly about their father, his crimes and his affair.
In a victim impact statement read by a family member on Oct. 5, one daughter questioned how Caleb could “kill the only mother [she] ever had.” She described Ashley as her “best friend” and “the absolute perfect person.”
The girl also condemned her 40-year-old father’s relationship with 24-year-old worship leader Alleigha Botner.
“How could you cheat on her and go to that awful girl named Alleigha?” the statement said. “I never liked her. She was just a girl who put a microphone to her mouth and spoke words with a tune. Mommy may not have been a professional singer, but she had the voice of an angel—and she was an angel. She has been, she is, and she always will be.”
She told the American Idol alum that “affairs are a big sin,” while also insisting that he still had “a chance” to change.
“There’s a choice for everything in life,” she wrote. “All you have to do is tell God that you’re sorry and that you want to confess and repent to him. I promise you it won’t take away your punishment, but you will have a life in heaven someday.”
Caleb’s younger daughter also addressed his affair in a victim impact statement read aloud by another relative.
“You had the best life ever and you decided to throw it away for a girl who was half your age,” her statement read. “How could you stand in that church and sing about how much you love God when you knew all the secrets you had inside? And watch your girls cheering you on and your wife who believed in you so much and loved you more than life itself.”
She urged her father to acknowledge that he killed Ashley and made clear that she would not visit him in prison.
“It’s sad that you can’t love anyone but yourself,” she wrote. “I wish you could understand that actions have consequences, and you have a lot to pay.”
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Caleb sobbed as his daughters’ statements were read in court. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, just days after a jury convicted him of aggravated murder, three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and three counts of tampering with evidence in connection with Ashley’s death.
“Your actions were abhorrent—the layers of deceit, manipulation and cruelty that you have shown, are quite honestly impossible to fathom,” Miami County Common Pleas Judge Jeannine Pratt told Caleb during the hearing. “Quite frankly sir, you used your faith to manipulate the lives of others, and the court finds that deeply disturbing.”
Caleb, however, has continued to deny killing his wife. During closing arguments, his defense team acknowledged that he had an affair but argued that the relationship alone did not establish that he murdered Ashley.
Prosecutors pointed to numerous text messages exchanged between Caleb and Alleigha, in which he allegedly said that he hated Ashley and wanted her dead.
“I have unfortunately lied about a lot of things over the last couple of years,” Caleb read from a written statement at his sentencing hearing. “But as I stand here before God, who is my ultimate judge, I am not lying. I did not kill my wife. I will continue to fight for my innocence as long as the Lord allows me to. I did not kill my wife.”
Caleb also addressed his daughters directly, calling them the “greatest joy in this life.”
“Please know,” he said, “your Daddy is so proud of you and loves you.”
In a statement to Oxygen, Caleb’s attorney, Patrick Mulligan, said the defense planned to file a notice of appeal after the sentencing.
“This will begin a long process with the goal of overturning his convictions,” Mulligan said. “Since the case was tried and the judge was required to make numerous decisions, his appellate team will have arguments to put forward.”