Caleb Flynn’s two daughters asked why their father did not love their mother as much as she loved him after learning of his alleged affair, their aunt testified in court.
Kayla Keyt, the sister of slain wife Ashley Flynn, 37, told jurors last week that the girls, then 11 and nine, posed the devastating question when relatives revealed that Flynn, a former American Idol contestant, had been involved with another woman. The children were in the next room when Ashley was fatally shot in the head on February 16 at the family home in Tipp City, Ohio.
Keyt shared the girls’ words on the witness stand during the trial, which is being streamed on Court TV.
“They said, ‘She loved daddy more than anyone else in life. So why did Daddy not love her as much?'” Keyt testified.
Keyt added that the elder daughter was “not surprised” when she learned that Alleigha Botner, her father’s mistress, was the other woman. The family had committed to informing the children that their father was a suspect in the murder investigation, though they tried to shield them from the harshest details.
“We didn’t want to burst their bubble, ever,” Keyt told the court.
Botner, who was in her early twenties and employed at the church where Flynn worked, also took the stand. She confirmed that she and Flynn began their affair in March 2024, and she testified that she had repeatedly urged him to leave his wife.
During her evidence, Botner read aloud text messages exchanged with Flynn that prosecutors entered into the record. In several messages, she issued ultimatums demanding he end his marriage. Both Botner and Flynn directed insults at Ashley in their texts, including calling her “spawn of Satan.”
Flynn wrote that he would be “willing to sacrifice” his two daughters for Botner, according to the messages read in court. At another point, Flynn allegedly stated that he would have killed Ashley himself if he could have done so without being discovered. Botner also wrote in a message that she wanted to kill Ashley, though she has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case.
Flynn, who appeared briefly on season 12 of American Idol, has pleaded not guilty to murder, aggravated murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence, and witness intimidation. Prosecutors allege he shot Ashley in the middle of the night, then staged the scene to look like a burglary before calling police to the residence.
The night of February 16, Ashley was killed while her daughters slept nearby. Flynn is accused of firing a single gunshot to her head and then scattering items around the house to simulate a break-in. Court records show he contacted authorities himself to report the supposed intrusion. Investigators later uncovered the affair with Botner and the trove of incriminating text messages that prosecutors are now using to build their case.
The trial continues in Ohio.