Alleigha Botner Faces Online Demands for Charges After Explosive Texts in Ex-Lover Caleb Flynn Murder Trial

Alleigha Botner has faced calls to be charged after troubling text messages between her and Caleb Flynn were read aloud during the former American Idol contestant's murder trial.

Botner, who was involved in an affair with Flynn, testified as prosecutors presented messages in which the pair discussed his wife, Ashley Flynn, before she was fatally shot.

Parts of Botner's emotional testimony later circulated online, prompting intense reactions over her role in the relationship and questions from some social media users about whether she should face criminal charges.

X Users on Alleigha Botner

The calls for Botner to face criminal charges have come from social media users. Botner has not been charged with any crime and is appearing in the case as a witness, making the online backlash separate from any formal legal action against her.

While testifying, Botner was asked to read some of her exchanges with Flynn. She became emotional while reading one exchange and said, 'I just wish I didn't say this,' before continuing, 'I didn't mean it,' and reading the text: 'I want to kill her, Caleb.'

When asked who had written the message, Botner confirmed it was her, saying, 'me.' She then continued, 'So bad.' When asked to read the next message, she said Flynn had replied, 'That makes the two of us.'

A clip of the testimony circulated on social media, with some viewers questioning why Botner had not been charged in Ashley's death. 'How is she not charged?!' one person asked. Another wrote, 'She's full of 💩💩💩💩 she knew.....I just don't understand how she's not charged.' A third asked, 'Why isn't she charged with anything.'

Others offered a different interpretation, arguing that people can make statements without literally intending them to become instructions for violence. One commenter said the exchange could be viewed as 'planting the seed in sick twisted people.'

Some social media users also criticised Botner for being involved with a married man and for comments she exchanged with Flynn about Ashley. Some called her a 'liar' or described her as 'awful.'

Caleb Flynn Texts Detail Anger Towards His Wife

Botner also read a series of messages exchanged with Flynn in July 2025. On 3 July, Flynn wrote, 'I hate douche. I sure as heck ain't hanging with her,' using a nickname the pair used for Ashley.

'I hate my life and I hate her,' Flynn wrote in another message that day. Botner replied, 'This is why, baby, we need to find a way,' adding, 'I want to show you what a real marriage can be.'

On 4 July, Botner wrote, 'Douche needs to go.' Flynn responded, 'I would literally have a smile on my face the whole time. Please take her out.' In another message, Flynn wrote: 'If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat. That is how dark and how hateful I feel.'

Prosecutors have presented the messages as evidence of Flynn's hostility towards Ashley and his alleged desire to end their marriage. Prosecutors also told jurors that, shortly before Ashley's death, Flynn sent his mistress a message saying, 'I choose you. I'm free. Actions will come tomorrow, February 16, a day I'll never forget.'

How Alleigha Botner's Affair With Caleb Flynn Began

Botner said she first met Flynn through their church in 2022, when she was a 21-year-old intern. She testified that their relationship remained professional until March 2024, when their interactions became more personal and eventually developed into an affair. The pair used messaging apps to conceal the relationship from Ashley.

Botner testified that she wanted Flynn to leave Ashley and believed she was in love with him. She said Flynn repeatedly delayed doing so, including because he did not want to hurt his two young daughters, and claimed he had said he planned to divorce Ashley on 16 February, the day she was killed.

Asked about her feelings towards Flynn, Botner said, 'I hate him...because I think he killed his wife.' She also testified about a message in which she said she was not asking Flynn to take Ashley's life and instead urged him to make the divorce happen.

Ashley, 37, was found fatally shot at the family's Tipp City, Ohio, home on 16 February 2026. Her official obituary confirms that she was 37 when she died.

Flynn initially told police that an intruder had entered the home and shot Ashley. He has since been indicted on 11 counts, including aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence and intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness in a criminal case, and has pleaded not guilty.