American Idol Contestant’s 100K Texts Reveal Wife Murder Motive

Former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn allegedly told his mistress he was “literally trying to think of ways to kill” his wife without ending up in prison, prosecutors say. They accuse Flynn of later shooting Ashley Flynn and staging the home to resemble a burglary.

The disturbing message was among more than 100,000 texts prosecutors say Flynn exchanged with his mistress during the year before Ashley Flynn was killed on Feb. 16, WHIO in Dayton reported.

“I was up until 4 a.m. last night crying, literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail,” Flynn allegedly wrote.

During opening statements Friday, prosecutors said Flynn had maintained a yearlong affair and argued that his extensive text exchanges revealed both a motive and an intent to kill, according to WHIO.

Miami County Prosecutor Paul Watkins told jurors that the messages—some sent months apart and others only hours before Ashley’s death—showed Flynn repeatedly expressing hostility toward his wife and a desire to leave her so he could build a life with his mistress.

Flynn has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and additional charges related to his wife’s death.

Fox News legal analyst Josh Ritter said Sunday that a message Flynn allegedly sent the day before Ashley was killed could be especially damaging to the defense.

Ritter said on “Fox & Friends Sunday” that Flynn appeared to suggest the next day would be unforgettable and that he would make a choice for his mistress.

“If we were curious at all about how the prosecution would attempt to prove motive in this case, it became abundantly clear during opening statements,” Ritter said.

Flynn’s defense acknowledged the affair in its opening statement but maintained that marital misconduct alone does not prove he murdered Ashley, WHIO reported.

Defense attorney Emily Smith argued that prosecutors were presenting a case based on circumstantial evidence rather than direct proof. She told jurors Ashley deserved justice grounded in evidence, not speculation.

Prosecutors allege Flynn used a 9mm handgun to shoot Ashley inside the couple’s Tipp City, Ohio, home before arranging the scene to suggest that an intruder had carried out the attack.

Flynn called 911 and reported that someone had broken into the house and shot his wife, according to audio previously obtained by News Media.

“Oh my god, somebody broke into my home, somebody broke into my home and shot my wife,” Flynn told the dispatcher. “My wife, she’s got two shots to her head, there’s blood everywhere. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my God.”

Jurors were shown police body-camera footage Friday from inside the Flynn residence on the night of the shooting. The first officers to arrive also testified about the initial investigation, WHIO reported.

The footage showed Flynn telling officers that a stranger had entered the home and killed his wife. One officer testified that Flynn said he had fallen asleep, then awoke to the sounds of a break-in followed by gunfire.

An FBI agent also testified that investigators canvassed more than 80 homes looking for cameras or other evidence that could support Flynn’s claim that an intruder had been in the neighborhood.

Flynn was a contestant on “American Idol” and spoke publicly about his love for his wife during a 2013 hometown interview for the show.

“I absolutely love the Lord. I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty…. I love her,” Flynn said at the time.

Ritter called the alleged messages between Flynn and his mistress “really, really damning evidence.”

He noted Flynn remains presumed innocent and said the defense appears to be pursuing a theory that investigators rushed to judgment.

“But given that abundance of digital evidence, I think they’re going to have a really tough time proving, or trying to create any kind of reasonable doubt in this case,” Ritter said.

Jurors are expected back in court Monday morning as testimony continues.