A former American Idol contestant displayed intense physical tics in court Monday as he faced trial over the alleged murder of his teacher wife.
Caleb Flynn, 40, has repeatedly broken down when evidence related to the February shooting of his wife, Ashley, 37, was discussed. Ashley was killed in Tipp City, Ohio. Flynn has pleaded not guilty.
During proceedings in Troy, Flynn, who competed on American Idol in 2013 and now works as a pastor, tightened his neck muscles so severely that veins became visible beneath his skin.
The reaction came as Ohio Bureau of Investigation Detective David Hammond guided jurors through an image of a bloodstained nightstand.
Flynn showed further signs of distress as the court prepared to view a graphic photograph of Ashley’s body. She was fatally shot with a 9mm handgun while the couple’s two young children were asleep in their bunk beds.
Flynn stared toward Judge Jeannine Pratt as his shirt collar repeatedly rose and fell while he jerked forward in his seat.
His neck and ears turned bright red when jurors were shown a photograph depicting the severe head injuries Ashley suffered in the shooting.
The images appeared to overwhelm Flynn, who eventually lost control of his emotions.
Former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn broke down again Monday while on trial in his wife Ashley’s death. Veins stood out on his neck as he scratched himself and flushed red
Flynn, Ashley and their two daughters are shown celebrating Christmas. The children were asleep in their bunk beds when their mother was killed
He swallowed repeatedly, lowered his head and frantically wiped his face with tissues as tears began streaming down his cheeks.
Prosecution witnesses used Monday’s testimony to challenge Flynn’s claim that an unidentified intruder killed Ashley. No suspect has been located in connection with the shooting.
Flynn fidgeted as Detective Hammond described damage to the handle of the couple’s garage door, a detail that helped fuel the theory that an intruder had entered the home.
But he appeared increasingly uncomfortable as Hammond outlined evidence the detective said weakened the burglary explanation.
Hammond told jurors there was “one unusual thing” about the scene: Although the garage door was damaged, investigators found no indication that anyone had tried to force it open to enter the property.
Flynn responded by glancing from side to side before looking down.
He scratched his ear as Hammond testified: “I couldn’t find any damage… both locks were unlocked. There was no evidence a pry tool was inserted to open it.”
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Flynn briefly appeared angry, shaking his head from side to side as Hammond told the court, “It didn’t look right to me.”
A photograph presented in court Monday purportedly shows Flynn’s SUV and the gun safe where he typically stored his weapon. The safe was empty after the shooting
A bullet that passed through Ashley’s head and lodged in her elbow is shown in photographic evidence presented to jurors Monday
Flynn was also seen rolling his shoulders during the trial, which saw prosecutors allege that the gun Flynn normally kept in his car was missing after Ashley’s killing.
And it wasn’t just the American Idol contestant who caught the eye, with a female member of the public ejected from court after trying to subtly give the finger to a sheriff’s deputy.
It is unclear what prompted the dramatic incident.
Last week, the court was told how Flynn had cheated on Ashley with an unidentified mistress and shown texts where he’d expressed a desire to kill his spouse.
Flynn sent the woman more than 100,000 messages during the yearslong affair, including one which read: ‘If I could literally kill her and not go to hell I would in a heartbeat.
‘That is how dark and hateful I feel.’
Flynn is seen during one of his many meltdowns at his trial for murdering his late wife Ashley
Flynn appeared on American Idol in 2013. He made it through the first round of auditions but was later knocked out of the show
Prosecutor Paul M. Watkins read another text to the court in which Flynn told the woman: ‘I was up until 4AM last night crying.
‘Literally thinking of ways to kill her and not go to jail.’
Flynn’s attorney Emily Smith says he admits the affair and that the texts were ‘hurtful and selfish’, but said only to appease his mistress.
Smith says the texts do not offer any proof beyond reasonable doubt that Flynn killed Ashley.
He passed his initial American Idol audition and made it to the show’s Hollywood rounds before being given the boot.
The trial continues.
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