Caleb Flynn's Sentencing: 'Tell Jesus You're Sorry,' Daughter Tells Dad Who Murdered Mum After Secret Church Affair

Former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn's 10-year-old daughter delivered a devastating message to her father moments before he was sentenced to life without parole for murdering her mother, urging him to confess and 'tell Jesus that you're sorry.'

Flynn, 40, sobbed in an Ohio courtroom as relatives read statements from his two daughters, who confronted him over Ashley Flynn's murder, his secret church affair and the destruction of their family.

Caleb Flynn's Daughters Confront Him at Sentencing

Ava, 10, and Alyssa, 12, did not personally read their victim impact statements. Instead, relatives delivered their words as Flynn listened in court.

'Mommy was the perfect person, the absolute perfect person. What did she ever do to make you hate her so much?' Ava asked.

Alyssa questioned whether her father had considered the pain his actions would cause his children. She later delivered another crushing message about their future relationship: 'I don't plan on coming to see you.'

Their uncle, who is raising the girls alongside Ashley's sister, said the statements came 'straight from the heart' and were 'totally unedited.'

'Tell Jesus That You're Sorry'

Faith featured prominently in the daughters' messages to their father, a former music pastor who briefly appeared on American Idol.

Ava urged Flynn to admit what he had done and repent, telling him: 'Please tell Jesus that you're sorry.'

She said doing so would not change his punishment but could determine his 'eternal reward someday.'

Alyssa also confronted her father over the contrast between his religious role and the secrets he kept, asking how he could stand in church and sing about loving God while concealing them.

Secret Church Affair Exposed at Murder Trial

Prosecutors said Flynn murdered 37-year-old Ashley at their Tipp City home on 16 February 2026 and staged the scene to resemble a break-in. Ashley was shot twice in the head while in bed.

The trial also exposed Flynn's affair with Alleigha Botner, 24, whom he met when she was an intern at his church.

Botner testified about their roughly 18-month affair and messages exchanged between them. Court TV reported that investigators uncovered more than 107,000 messages between the pair, including communications in which Flynn expressed hatred towards his wife and discussed wanting her dead.

Alyssa directly referenced the affair in her statement, telling her father he had thrown away 'the best life ever' for 'a girl who was half your age.'

Caleb Flynn Maintains His Innocence

Despite the guilty verdict, Flynn insisted at his sentencing that he did not murder Ashley.

'I have unfortunately lied about a lot of things over the last couple of years,' Flynn told the court, before saying that 'before God' he was not lying about his innocence.

He apologised for breaking his wedding vows and for the things he had said about Ashley. Flynn also addressed his daughters through tears, calling them his 'greatest joy' and saying he was heartbroken that he would not be there as they grew up.

Judge Gives Flynn Life Without Parole

Judge Jeannine Pratt sentenced Flynn to life in prison without the possibility of parole for aggravated murder. He also received consecutive sentences totalling nine years for tampering with evidence and seven years for firearm enhancements.

Pratt told Flynn that his actions had permanently scarred his daughters.

'You took from them something they can never get back, their mother,' the judge said.

Pratt said no sentence could bring Ashley back to her children, but the case demanded 'accountability' and 'justice.'