Caleb Flynn's Daughter Says 'I Don't Plan on Coming To See You' as He Gets Life for Mum's Murder

Caleb Flynn's daughter told him, 'I don't plan on coming to see you', as he was sentenced to life without parole in Ohio on Monday, 5 October, for murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn.

The 40-year-old cried in the dock as relatives read victim impact statements from both daughters, who were not in court, minutes before the judge handed down the maximum sentence.

Prosecutors said an Ohio jury had convicted Flynn less than a week earlier over Ashley's fatal shooting at their Tipp City home in February.

They argued he killed her in part because of his affair with fellow church worship leader Alleigha Botner and claimed he staged the scene to look as if an intruder had carried out the attack. Flynn maintained his innocence at sentencing and again denied murdering his wife.

Daughters Confront Flynn Through Victim Impact Statements

Flynn's daughters, Ava and Alyssa, were 10 and 12 at the time of sentencing. Their relatives read their victim impact statements aloud as Ashley's family asked the court to impose the maximum punishment. Their uncle said the letters came 'straight from the heart' and were 'totally unedited'.

Ava described her mother as her 'best friend' and an 'angel'. She asked her father, 'What did she ever do to make you hate her so much?'

Alyssa focused on the pain left behind for both sisters. 'Did you really even think about how much pain you would bring your own two daughters?' she wrote.

She also addressed Flynn's affair with Botner, writing, 'Ashley Flynn was the best thing that ever happened to you. You had the best life ever, and you decided to throw it away for a girl who was half your age.'

Alyssa later told her father, 'I love you deeply with all my heart, and it's sad that you can't love anyone but yourself.' She ended with the line that marked the rupture between father and daughter. 'And by the way, I don't plan on coming to see you.'

Prosecutors Raise Alleged Coaching of Flynn's Daughters

A sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors also raised allegations about Flynn's conversations with his daughters after Ashley's death.

According to the account of the memorandum, the girls were nine and 11 at the time of their mother's death. Prosecutors said both children told investigators that Flynn had said 'their statements could be the difference between life and death for him'.

The memorandum also alleged that Flynn told the girls to 'deny that he had coached them and conceal the conversations from others'.

Prosecutors wrote that Flynn had 'attempted to use his grieving daughters to reinforce the story he had created to protect himself'. The claims were presented as part of the prosecution's sentencing argument.

Flynn's nearly two-year affair with Botner had also featured during the case. Jurors heard about more than 100,000 messages Flynn and Botner exchanged in the year before Ashley's death.

The affair surfaced again in Alyssa's statement, when she questioned how her father could sing about his Christian faith while keeping secrets from his family.

Life Without Parole Ends Emotional Sentencing Hearing

Judge Jeannine Pratt sentenced Flynn to life without the possibility of parole for Ashley's murder, the maximum sentence available for the offence. He also received nine years for tampering with evidence and seven years for firearm enhancements. The additional terms were ordered to run consecutively.

Before Pratt imposed the sentence, Flynn apologised for breaking his wedding vows and for what he described as 'awful things' he had said about Ashley. He nevertheless denied killing her.

'I have unfortunately lied about a lot of things over the last couple of years,' Flynn told the court. 'But as I stand here before God, who is my ultimate judge, I am not lying. I did not kill my wife.'

Flynn also addressed his daughters, calling them his 'greatest joy in this life'. He said he wished he could watch them grow up and be present for important moments in their lives.

'There's so much I wish I could be there for, and so my heart breaks knowing I can't,' he said. 'But please know again, I dearly love you both and miss you more than you'll ever know.'

Pratt then addressed the impact of Ashley's murder on the two girls. 'You took from them something they can never get back – their mother,' the judge said. 'They will live with the scars of what you did for the rest of their lives.'

Ashley Flynn's family left the hearing with the maximum murder sentence imposed, while her daughters' statements placed their loss at the centre of the proceedings. Their words described a mother they remembered as their closest source of love and stability, and a relationship with their father permanently altered by her death.

Flynn, however, continued to reject the jury's conclusion. He told the court, 'I will continue to fight for my innocence as long as the Lord allows me to.'