Prosecutors in Ohio told jurors that more than 100,000 text messages exchanged between former «American Idol» contestant Caleb Flynn and his mistress in the year before his wife's death reveal a motive and intent to kill, according to WHIO in Dayton. The messages were presented during opening statements Friday in Flynn's aggravated murder trial for the Feb. 16 killing of his wife, Ashley Flynn, inside their Tipp City home.
Miami County Prosecutor Paul Watkins argued the messages, some sent months apart and others just hours before the killing, show Flynn repeatedly expressed hatred toward his wife and a desire to be free of her so he could pursue a future with his mistress. In one message, Flynn allegedly wrote he had been up until 4 a.m. crying and was «literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail.»
Flynn has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges. Prosecutors allege he used a 9mm handgun to shoot Ashley and then staged the scene to look like a break-in. Flynn called 911 and claimed an intruder had broken into the home and shot his wife, audio previously obtained by Fox News Digital shows. «Oh my god, somebody broke into my home, somebody broke into my home and shot my wife,» Flynn told the dispatcher. «My wife, she's got two shots to her head, there's blood everywhere.»
Jurors on Friday were shown police bodycam footage from inside the Flynn home on the night of the killing as the first officers to arrive testified about their initial investigation. The footage showed Flynn telling officers someone had broken into the home and killed his wife. An officer testified that Flynn said he had fallen asleep before waking to sounds of a break-in and gunfire. An FBI agent also testified that investigators canvassed more than 80 homes looking for cameras or other evidence that could support Flynn's claim that an intruder had been in the neighborhood.
Fox News legal analyst Josh Ritter said Sunday that one message sent the day before Ashley's killing could be particularly damaging. Flynn allegedly indicated that the following day would be one he would never forget and that he would make his choice for his mistress, Ritter said on «Fox & Friends Sunday.» «If we were curious at all about how the prosecution would attempt to prove motive in this case, it became abundantly clear during opening statements,» Ritter said.
The defense acknowledged the affair during opening statements but argued Flynn's conduct as a husband does not establish that he murdered Ashley. Defense attorney Emily Smith told jurors prosecutors were offering a theory built around circumstantial evidence rather than proof that Flynn killed his wife, arguing Ashley deserved justice based on more than speculation.
Ritter called the alleged messages between Flynn and his mistress «really, really damning evidence.» He noted Flynn remains presumed innocent and said the defense appears to be pursuing a theory that investigators rushed to judgment. «But given that abundance of digital evidence, I think they're going to have a really tough time proving, or trying to create any kind of reasonable doubt in this case,» Ritter said.
Flynn was a contestant on «American Idol» and spoke publicly about his love for his wife during a 2013 hometown interview for the show. «I absolutely love the Lord. I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty.... I love her,» Flynn said at the time. Jurors are expected back in court Monday morning as testimony continues.