Former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn has been booked and charged with the murder of his wife, Ashley Flynn.
The vocalist, a native of Tipp City, Ohio, was a contestant on season twelve of the musical competition in 2013. Flynn, 39, auditioned for the show in Chicago and in his Road to Hollywood video said that he loved his wife “more than anything.”
According to reports, Flynn was arrested on Thursday evening (February 19). He was charged with murder and two counts each of felonious assault and tampering with evidence in Miami County (Ohio) Municipal Court. By Friday morning (February 20), he pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, who died at 37 years old.
“I just want to take care of my daughters,” Flynn told Judge Samuel Huffman. “I’m not a risk.”
Flynn is alleged to have murdered his wife along with staging the crime scene after the shooting occurred on Monday (February 16). Flynn called 911 at 2:30 a.m. to report that he found Ashley bleeding and unresponsive, and claimed that a home intruder might have been present. Also in the home were the couple’s two daughters.
“There’s blood everywhere, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” Flynn reportedly said during the frantic call.
Authorities with the Tipp City Police determined that the crime scene appeared staged, including the signs of forced entry. Flynn’s LinkedIn shows that since 2021, he’d worked as VP of Sales at a local construction business. His late wife worked as a middle school girls volleyball coach and a substitute teacher for Tipp City Schools.
Caleb Flynn’s defense attorney, L. Patrick Mulligan, stated that he was “disappointed and concerned” about authorities “seeming rush to judgment in this case.”
“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 statement read.
Flynn’s bail is set at $2 million and he’s scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Thursday, February 26. He is currently locked up in Miami County Jail.