The mistress of a Dayton-area pastor and former "American Idol" contestant accused of killing his wife testified at his murder trial that she believes he's responsible for the murder.
Caleb Flynn, 40, is facing aggravated murder charges in Miami County connected to the Feb. 16 shooting death of his wife, Ashley, inside the couple's home in Tipp City. His trial has drawn national attention because Flynn appeared on "American Idol" Season 12.
Flynn told investigators someone broke into the couple's home during the early morning hours and shot Ashley in the head. Court records and witnesses at Flynn's trial testified that no items were missing from the home except a handgun kept in the console of Flynn's truck in the garage.
Investigators have testified
that the evidence collected at the scene led them to believe the scene had been staged to look like a home invasion.
On Sept. 23, Flynn's mistress, Alleigha Botner, 24, testified for the prosecution. According to live updates from CNN, Butner testified that she now hates Flynn.
"I believe that he murdered his wife," Botner testified, according to CNN.
Botner met Flynn at the church where he worked as a pastor when she was 21 years old, she testified. She said their relationship became physical between the couple in 2024, but Botner ended the relationship in December 2025 after promises from Flynn to end his marriage went unfulfilled.
Botner testified she heard Flynn call his wife "spawn of Satan" and that he would tell her about once a month that he wanted his wife to die.
She testified that on Valentine's Day, two days before Ashley Flynn's death, she told Caleb Flynn that she was planning to go on a date with another person and that if he didn't act quickly, he would lose his opportunity with Botner.
Flynn said he had told his wife, asked for a divorce and was planning to talk to family and the couple's kids on Feb. 16, according to Botner's testimony.
"It seemed like too much of a coincidence that the day he's divorcing her, she's just dead all of a sudden," Botner testified.
Prosecutors have shown the jury text messages Flynn sent Botner in which he expressed a desire to kill his wife.
"If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat," prosecutors said one of the texts read.
Ashley Flynn was a junior high volleyball coach and well-liked substitute teacher. The couple has two daughters, both of whom could testify in the trial.
Flynn has maintained his innocence. His attorneys have argued he was a bad husband but not a killer.
Flynn's trial began on Sept. 19. If convicted, he faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison with no option for parole.
Editor Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mistress testifies in Ohio murder trial of former 'American Idol' contestant
