Caleb Flynn Murder Trial Update: Chilling Texts to Mistress and Scratched Photo Displayed in Court

Jurors in the Caleb Flynn murder trial have been shown a photograph saved on Ashley Flynn's phone just 14 days before she was shot dead at the couple's home in Tipp City, Ohio. The image showed Ashley posing beside her husband, former American Idol contestant and pastor Caleb Flynn, with his face scratched over.

The photograph was saved on 2 February, according to evidence presented in court, while Ashley, a mother of two, was killed on 16 February. The evidence presented in court does not establish who altered the photograph or why.

Caleb Flynn Murder Trial Focuses On Phone Evidence

For context, the photograph emerged during Caleb's trial over Ashley's death. Caleb, 40, has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors allege that he shot Ashley, 37, twice in the back of the head while she slept before staging a break-in to mislead investigators.

Caleb had called police in the early morning to report what he described as a home invasion, claiming someone had entered the property and shot his wife. The defence maintains that investigators focused on Caleb too quickly and allowed his extramarital relationship to influence their case.

The alleged affair has featured heavily in the prosecution's evidence. Jurors have heard about more than 100,000 messages exchanged between Caleb and Alleigha Botner, who testified that their relationship lasted roughly 18 months.

Alleigha said she met Caleb in 2022 while working as a 20-year-old intern at Christian Life Center in Dayton. Their relationship later became romantic.

Prosecutors have pointed to the messages as evidence of Caleb's alleged intentions towards Ashley. In one exchange presented in court, Caleb allegedly wrote that he had stayed awake until 4 a.m. 'thinking of ways to kill her and not go to jail.'

Alleigha responded, 'I'm not asking that you take her life,' according to the evidence. She added, 'But to make the divorce happen, it would change everything.'

Caleb allegedly replied, 'I'll work on getting rid of her. Until then, I love you.'

Pastor Caleb Flynn Messages Read To Jurors

Another message, reportedly sent near midnight before Ashley's death, read, 'Good night, tomorrow's a big day. I've got to get to bed. I choose you, I'm about to be free.'

Alleigha became emotional while discussing the messages in court and testified that the timing of Ashley's death left her uneasy. Her testimony placed the messages within the wider account of the relationship and the events surrounding Ashley's death.

'In my mind, it just seemed like too much of a coincidence that the day he's divorcing her, she's just dead all of a sudden,' she told jurors.

The photograph provides another piece of evidence presented during the proceedings, although the supplied court evidence does not establish who scratched Caleb's face or what prompted the alteration. That distinction matters because the image alone does not establish Ashley's knowledge of the alleged relationship.

Both sides rested on Monday, with closing arguments scheduled for Tuesday, 29 September. The defence rested without calling witnesses. Prosecutors also requested dismissal of two misdemeanor intimidation counts, with that motion concerning those specific charges rather than the murder allegation.

Caleb briefly appeared on the 12th season of American Idol in 2013. Ashley worked as a substitute teacher and volleyball coach. The trial has therefore brought together evidence about their marriage, Caleb's alleged affair and the circumstances surrounding Ashley's death, with the photograph and messages now part of the case presented to jurors.