Ex-mistress testifies in murder trial of former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn

The ex-mistress of a former American Idol contestant accused of shooting his wife testified that she believes he committed murder.

Caleb Flynn, a 40-year-old former pastor who appeared on the hit reality show in 2013, allegedly staged the scene of his wife’s February killing to make it appear as though an intruder fatally shot her.

Flynn was arrested days after contacting the authorities to report the shooting at his home in Tipp City, Ohio, and has pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges associated with the case.

Alleigha Botner, 24, testified on Wednesday that she believes Flynn had killed his wife of nearly 16 years, Ashley, on February 16.

Speaking in court, Botner said: “I hate him.”

“Because I believe that he murdered his wife,” she went on to say, explaining why her feelings towards the man she thought she loved had changed.

“In my mind, it seemed like too much of a coincidence that the day he's divorcing her, she's just dead all of a sudden,” she noted.

Flynn has been charged with aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence - all of which he denies.

Prosecutors claim that he shot his wife twice in the back of the head while she was in bed on the night of February 16. The couple’s two daughters were sleeping at the home as the killing was carried out.

Flynn’s defense team has not denied that he sent messages to Botner or carried out an affair, but noted that the prosecution lacks a murder weapon or other evidence to prove that he killed his wife.

“A man can fail as a husband without being a murderer, and a man can make selfish decisions without committing a crime,” Emily Smith, his defense attorney, said during opening statements.

Botner’s attorney, Nicholas Gounaris, told CNN that his client had been “naïve” during the affair.

“She was younger, she was a lot more naïve, and she said a lot of things that obviously no one would ever expect would be publicized to the world,” Nicholas Gounaris told CNN. “She’s not proud of what she said, and she’s not proud of how she acted.”

Botner testified that she was 21 years old when the pair met back in 2022 at a church in Ohio. Their affair began in March 2024.

During their relationship, the pair got matching lightning bolt tattoos in a reference to the Harry Potter series.

Botner also testified that, during their affair, Flynn referred to his wife as a “w***e,” a “s**t,” and the “spawn of Satan.”

Botner cried in court as she read some of the texts exchanged between the pair.

“I want to kill her, Caleb,” a text from Botner had read.

“That makes two of us,” Flynn responded.

Addressing her own text, Botner noted: “I didn’t mean it.”

Another message, sent to Botner hours before Flynn called 911, had read: “I choose you. I'm free. Actions will come tomorrow.”

Botner explained that she understood the message to be a reference to divorce.

Flynn is known for appearing on American Idol back in 2013, where he was handed a golden ticket by the judges. The musician made it to the show’s infamous Hollywood Week but did not reach the live competition rounds.

Flynn spoke for his faith and love for his wife while appearing in a promotional video for the show.

“The thing that makes me unique: I absolutely love the Lord, I love my wife more than anything,” he said on the show. “She is very, very pretty, just, I love her.”