American Idol, worship musician gets life sentence for murder

A Miami County, Ohio, judge on Monday sentenced former American Idol contestant and self-described music pastor Caleb Flynn to life in prison without parole for murdering his wife. Last week, a jury found Flynn, 40, guilty of the February fatal shooting of his wife, 37-year-old Ashlyn Flynn. He shot her in the back of the head while she was asleep and staged it to look like a break-in, prosecutors said. The murder followed after he had an 18-month-long affair. Flynn sometimes served as a worship leader at a church in Dayton, Ohio.

Common Pleas Court Judge Jeannine Pratt said that Flynn’s actions were abhorrent and impossible to fathom. Flynn could have separated from his wife and allowed their two daughters to still have their mom. Instead, Flynn chose to act out of greed, selfishness, lust, and cruelty, Pratt said.

What did Flynn say during the sentencing? While Flynn acknowledged the harm he caused with the affair and his lies, he maintained his innocence of the murder. He loved his wife and vowed to fight to prove he did not kill her, he said while crying and reading from a statement. His lawyers previously said they planned to appeal the guilty verdict. He also asked his wife’s family for forgiveness for breaking his marriage vows.

What else was said at the sentencing? While Flynn’s daughters were not in the courtroom Monday, other family members read written statements from the girls, who were ages 9 and 11 when their mother was killed. Alyssa wrote that she loved her father, but it was sad to see how he couldn’t love anyone but himself. She said the least Flynn could do was admit what he did. Alyssa said she didn’t plan to visit Flynn in prison.

The other daughter, Ava, asked Flynn why he hated her mother so much. “She was my best friend. And then you chose to kill the only mother I ever had,” Ava’s statement read. “I miss her so much—so, so, so much. You have no idea.”

Dig deeper: Read my report for more details on Flynn’s conviction.