His wife encouraged his ‘American Idol’ dream. Now he stands trial for her murder

About 13 years ago, “American Idol” contestant Caleb Flynn gushed about his wife Ashley, who he said encouraged him to audition for the 12th season of ABC’s singing competition.

“I love my wife more than anything,” he said in an interview during his brief stint on the show . “She’s very, very pretty, just – woof, I love her.”

On Thursday, Flynn will stand trial for her murder, as investigators allege the former music pastor fatally shot his wife of almost 16 years and staged the crime scene to make it appear she was killed by an intruder.

Flynn, 40, was arrested in February, days after he frantically called 911 to report someone broke into their Tipp City, Ohio, home and killed his wife – a beloved middle school volleyball coach – while he was in their daughters’ bedroom.

“We’re looking forward to trying the case,” his defense attorney, Patrick Mulligan, told CNN Tuesday. “We’ve been waiting for this.”

Flynn has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence and witness intimidation.

The murder trial, which is slated to last about two weeks, begins with jury selection on Thursday. During the proceedings, the jurors are expected to visit the family’s home to view the crime scene and hear testimony from several of Ashley’s family members – including the couple’s preteen daughters, who are crucial to their father’s presumed alibi.

Prosecutors have provided scant details about the investigation and have not yet offered a purported motive for the killing or described the alleged “cover up” – key components jurors will likely consider during their deliberations.

“It will become apparent what the status of the evidence is as things go on,” Mulligan told CNN, adding he didn’t believe the prosecution would be able to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. He previously suggested authorities had made a “rush to judgment” in arresting his client.

“When the government runs out of leads or can’t develop leads and looks at a surviving spouse in cases such as these, the chance of a wrongful conviction increases,” the defense attorney said in a statement to The Associated Press shortly after Flynn’s arrest in February.

If the panel convicts Flynn of the most serious charge, he could be sentenced to life in prison without parole .

Weeks before the trial’s start, Judge Jeannine Pratt denied a defense motion to change the venue of the trial and a motion from prosecutors to sequester the jury, with both parties arguing the high public interest in the case could jeopardize the impartiality of the panel.

The court will impose additional measures to ensure jurors are impartial, Pratt wrote in her ruling, and may reconsider the parties’ requests if any issues arise while seating the jury.

From Ashley Flynn/Facebook

In the early morning hours of February 16, Ashley was shot and killed inside the suburban home she shared with her husband and their two daughters.

Caleb Flynn told investigators he was sleeping in the living room that night because he had a bad cough, according to a conversation captured on police body-worn cameras. He woke up when he heard one of their dogs moving, he said, and assumed one of the children had gotten out of bed.

“I went in their room, and I laid down with them for – I don’t even know how long, and that’s when I heard it,” Flynn told the officers, saying he “froze” when he heard a gunshot.

“When I finally got up, the door leading to the garage was open, but I didn’t see anybody,” he said.

In a 911 call around 2:30 a.m., Flynn reported an intruder had broken into the house and shot his wife.

“My wife, she’s got two shots to her head. There’s blood everywhere,” he said breathlessly. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”

Footage from police body cameras showed first responders rushing into the family’s home shortly after and clearing the house with their guns drawn.

Miami County Sheriff's Office

Former ‘American Idol’ contestant charged in wife’s killing, allegedly staging crime scene in his Ohio home

“We have a lady with a gunshot wound to the head in her bed,” one officer said. “We got gun casings on the floor. The husband’s here and the kids are here.”

While searching through the garage, police noted a door leading outside was open, as was the center console in a parked truck. Flynn told investigators he had a few guns in the house, including a handgun he stored in his truck, according to the footage.

As officers secured the scene over the next hour, police bodycam footage captured Flynn sobbing, calling loved ones and appearing to vomit. When Ashley’s mother arrived at the home, he fell to his knees, wailing, before they embraced on the front lawn.

“The girls don’t know, the girls are sleeping,” Flynn said as he hugged her. “I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do.”

“I don’t know what to do either,” the grandmother said through tears. “I’m just – I’m in shock.”

That night, Flynn agreed to go to the police station to provide a statement about the incident, the bodycam footage shows. “You’ll be riding up front with me,” an officer told him as he pointed to a nearby car.

Three days later, Flynn was handcuffed in the back of a police vehicle on his way to the Miami County Jail, where he’s been held since his arrest. His bond was set at $3.5 million.

Initial charging documents said officers were at first “lead estray (sic) by the staging of the crime scene,” though authorities have not provided details about the alleged cover-up.

Tipp City Police Department

“As a result of the investigation, probable cause existed to charge Caleb Flynn with the murder of his wife,” Tipp City police said in a news release announcing his arrest. “Due to the ongoing nature of this case, specific investigative details will not be released at this time.”

Ashley’s family believes the arrest was made “carefully and not without serious consideration,” according to a statement shared with CNN affiliate WKEF .

“After speaking with both local police and federal authorities, we trust the proper steps were taken and the process is being handled appropriately,” they wrote. “We kindly ask for privacy as we work through this complex situation.”

In the aftermath of her shocking death, the suburban community of Tipp City – just north of Dayton – came together to mourn Ashley, a beloved substitute teacher and volleyball coach.

Ribbons and Bible verses adorned the downtown streets in her memory, and local restaurants donated some of their proceeds to her family, according to CNN affiliate WHIO .

“She was such a pillar to the community,” neighbor Tia Turner told WKEF . “She was one of the first people to welcome us in the neighborhood.”

About a week after her death, Ashley’s friends and family commemorated what would have been her 38th birthday. Her daughters blew out candles on chocolate cupcakes, WKEF reported, and her loved ones released balloons with handwritten messages into the sky.

“We miss her in ways words can’t capture. But we hold tightly to this: Ashley’s life was always about pointing people to Jesus and showing them His love,” her family said in a statement provided to WKEF .

“And her legacy will live on – in her daughters, in her parents, in her sister, and in the many lives she touched and influenced along the way.”

大约 13 年前，“美国偶像”参赛选手 Caleb Flynn 热情洋溢地谈到他的妻子 Ashley，他说 Ashley 鼓励他参加 ABC 电视台第 12 季歌唱比赛的试镜。

“我爱我的妻子胜过一切，”他在短暂参加该节目期间接受采访时说道。“她非常非常漂亮，简直——哇，我爱她。”

周四，弗林将因谋杀罪受审。调查人员称，这位前音乐牧师枪杀了与他结婚近 16 年的妻子，并伪造了犯罪现场，使人误以为她是被入侵者杀害的。

40 岁的弗林于 2 月份被捕，几天前，他惊慌失措地拨打 911 报警，称有人闯入他在俄亥俄州蒂普市的家中，杀害了他的妻子——一位深受爱戴的中学排球教练——当时他正在女儿们的卧室里。

“我们期待着开庭审理此案，”他的辩护律师帕特里克·穆里根周二告诉CNN。“我们一直在等待这一刻。”

弗林对加重谋杀罪、谋杀罪、重罪袭击罪、篡改证据罪和恐吓证人罪的指控拒不不认罪。

预计持续两周左右的谋杀案审判将于周四开始，首先进行陪审团遴选。庭审期间，陪审员们预计将前往被告家中查看犯罪现场，并听取阿什利几位家庭成员的证词，其中包括这对夫妇的未成年女儿，她们的证词对于证明其父亲的不在场证明至关重要。

检察官对调查细节的披露甚少，尚未提出所谓的杀人动机，也没有描述所谓的“掩盖真相”——这些都是陪审员在审议过程中可能会考虑的关键因素。

“随着事态发展，证据的状况将会逐渐明朗，”穆里根告诉CNN，并补充说他不认为检方能够排除合理怀疑地证明指控成立。他此前曾暗示，当局在逮捕他的当事人时“仓促定罪”。

“当政府没有线索或无法找到线索，转而调查幸存配偶时，在这类案件中，冤案的几率就会增加，”辩护律师在弗林于 2 月份被捕后不久向美联社发表声明说。

如果陪审团认定弗林犯有最严重的罪行，他可能会被判处终身监禁，不得假释。

在审判开始前几周，法官珍妮·普拉特驳回了辩方提出的变更审判地点的动议和检方提出的隔离陪审团的动议，双方都认为公众对该案的高度关注可能会危及陪审团的公正性。

普拉特在裁决中写道，法院将采取额外措施以确保陪审员的公正性，如果在陪审团遴选过程中出现任何问题，法院可能会重新考虑各方的请求。

来自 Ashley Flynn/Facebook

2月16日凌晨，阿什利在她与丈夫和两个女儿共同居住的郊区家中被枪杀。

根据警方执法记录仪拍摄的对话记录，卡莱布·弗林告诉调查人员，当晚他因为咳嗽得很厉害，所以睡在客厅里。他说，他被家里的狗动静吵醒，以为是孩子们起床了。

“我进了他们的房间，和他们一起躺了下来——我甚至不知道躺了多久，就在那时我听到了枪声，”弗林告诉警官们，他说当他听到枪声时，他“吓呆了”。

“当我终于起床时，通往车库的门是开着的，但我没看到任何人，”他说。

凌晨 2 点 30 分左右，弗林拨打 911 报警，称一名入侵者闯入家中并枪杀了他的妻子。

“我妻子头部中了两枪，到处都是血，”他气喘吁吁地说。“我的天哪，我的天哪，我的天哪。”

警方执法记录仪拍摄的画面显示，急救人员随后迅速冲进这户人家，拔枪清查了房屋。

迈阿密县警长办公室

前《美国偶像》选手被控谋杀妻子，据称在其俄亥俄州家中伪造犯罪现场。

“我们发现一名女子躺在床上，头部中枪，”一名警官说。“地板上有弹壳。她的丈夫和孩子都在这里。”

警方在搜查车库时发现，通往室外的门是开着的，停放的一辆卡车的中央扶手箱也是敞开的。根据监控录像，弗林告诉调查人员，他家里有几支枪，包括一支放在卡车里的手枪。

接下来的一个小时里，警员们封锁了现场。警方的执法记录仪拍到弗林哭泣、给亲人打电话，并似乎呕吐。当阿什利的母亲赶到时，他跪倒在地，嚎啕大哭，随后两人在前院草坪上拥抱在一起。

“女孩们还不知道，她们还在睡觉，”弗林一边说着一边拥抱她。“我不知道该怎么办，我不知道该怎么办，我不知道该怎么办。”

“我也不知道该怎么办，”奶奶哽咽着说，“我……我太震惊了。”

当晚，弗林同意前往警察局就此事作证，执法记录仪视频显示。“你坐我前面那辆车，”一名警官指着附近的一辆车对他说。

三天后，弗林被戴上手铐，押上警车，前往迈阿密县监狱。自被捕以来，他一直被关押在那里。他的保释金被定为350万美元。

初步起诉文件称，警员们最初“被犯罪现场的伪造所误导”，但当局尚未提供有关所谓掩盖真相的细节。

蒂普市警察局

蒂普市警方在宣布逮捕卡莱布·弗林的新闻稿中表示：“经调查，有充分理由指控卡莱布·弗林谋杀其妻子。由于案件仍在调查中，目前暂不公布具体的调查细节。”

据 CNN 附属电视台 WKEF 报道，阿什利的家人认为，逮捕行动是“经过慎重考虑的，并非没有经过深思熟虑”。

他们写道：“在与当地警方和联邦当局沟通后，我们相信已采取了适当的步骤，并且正在妥善处理此事。我们恳请大家尊重我们的隐私，让我们能够处理这一复杂情况。”

在她令人震惊的去世之后，位于代顿北部郊区的蒂普市的居民们聚集在一起，悼念这位深受爱戴的代课老师兼排球教练阿什利。

据 CNN 附属电视台 WHIO 报道，为了纪念她，市中心的街道上挂满了丝带和圣经经文，当地餐馆也向她的家人捐赠了部分收益。

邻居蒂娅·特纳告诉WKEF电视台：“她对社区来说是一位支柱人物。她是最早欢迎我们搬到这个社区的人之一。”

阿什利去世大约一周后，她的朋友和家人为她举办了纪念活动，庆祝她本应38岁的生日。据WKEF报道，她的女儿们吹灭了巧克力纸杯蛋糕上的蜡烛，亲人们放飞了写有手写留言的气球。

“我们对她的思念之情难以言表。但我们始终铭记这一点：阿什利的一生都在引导人们认识耶稣，并向他们展现祂的爱，”她的家人在提供给WKEF的一份声明中说道。

“她的精神遗产将永存——在她的女儿们、她的父母、她的姐妹以及她一路以来接触和影响的众多生命中。”