The husband of a volleyball teacher was convicted of her murder and staging a burglary

He pretended that there had been a break-in

Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old teacher and volleyball coach, was murdered on February 16. Prosecutors say her husband, Caleb Flynn, shot her twice in the head while she slept. Later, the 40-year-old staged a house break-in and notified the services about the alleged aggressor who appeared in the building. In this way, he wanted to hide the crime.

Flynn closed his eyes and cried as the judge read the jury's decision on murder, aggravated battery and tampering with evidence, Fox News reports. On October 5, he will find out what his punishment will be - he faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Flynn took part in American Idol in 2013. He told viewers about how his wife encouraged him to pursue his dreams in this singing competition. He sang in front of judges such as Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson - but did not qualify for the main stage of the competition in Hollywood.

A lover's testimony and 107,000 messages

The 40-year-old's lover testified in court. Alleigha Botner claims she met Flynn in 2022 when she was working at his church as a 20-year-old. Their affair lasted over a year.

Key evidence presented by the prosecutor's office included an archive of 107,000 messages the man exchanged with his lover. Botner read some of them. They show that Flynn was afraid of the consequences of divorce, wanted to kill his wife and had a specific plan for this.

Before the jury's decision, Flynn's attorney argued that investigators never found a gun or evidence that Flynn had reached for the gun that day.

His infidelity does not constitute murder. This case is not about whether he was a good husband, said Patrick Mulligan.

The defense lawyer also claimed that the messages about his wife sent to his lover were intended to improve the 20-year-old's mood.