Pastor's Mistress Reportedly Said 'I Want To Kill Her' Before His Wife Was Found Shot Dead at Home

A pastor's alleged mistress told a murder trial jury she once texted 'I want to kill her, Caleb' about his wife, before prosecutors laid out months of messages in which the pair discussed Ashley Flynn's death and their future together.

Alleigha Botner, 24, took the stand as a key prosecution witness against Caleb Flynn, who is accused of killing his wife Ashley inside their Ohio home on 16 February, 2026. Botner described a lengthy affair with Flynn and read messages exchanged before Ashley was found shot dead.

Mistress Admitted the Message About Ashley

Botner was shown her own messages during testimony, including the blunt line about wanting Ashley dead. She told the court she did not mean it literally and said she did not believe Flynn meant his own violent comments literally either.

Among the messages presented to jurors were discussions about Ashley needing to 'go' and Botner wanting a future with Flynn. Prosecutors also presented messages in which Flynn allegedly said he wanted Ashley dead and asked Botner to 'hire someone' to take her out.

The podcast coverage described the messages as part of an affair that had continued for around a year and a half.

Botner said the relationship had become emotionally intense, with both discussing Flynn leaving his marriage.

Their Messages Escalated Before The Killing

Prosecutors traced the exchanges from May 2025 through the months before Ashley's death. In one message, Flynn allegedly wrote that if he could kill Ashley without going to hell, he would do it. In another, he allegedly described staying awake until 4am thinking about ways to kill her without going to jail.

Botner also acknowledged helping Flynn remove or protect messages from discovery. She said she was concerned Ashley could find evidence of the affair and that she researched the potential consequences of a divorce and a phone search.

The pair had exchanged more than 107,000 messages, according to testimony, with the defence stressing that Botner sent roughly twice as many as Flynn. The defence argued prosecutors had shown selected messages and that their wider context mattered.

Flynn also allegedly told Botner he was prepared to sacrifice his daughter's $250,000 (£189,000) salary job, along with his home, church position and reputation to pursue a future with her.

Flynn Planned Divorce One Day Before Ashley Died

The messages took another turn on February 15, the day before Ashley was killed. Botner testified that Flynn told her he had decided to leave Ashley and had plans to speak with her and her parents.

Flynn allegedly told Botner, 'I choose you, Aaliyah. You're more than enough.'

The following morning, Botner reminded him about a burner phone they had discussed. Later, after learning something had happened at the Flynn home, she said she contacted him and asked what was going on.

Botner later went to Ashley's parents' home, where Flynn was also present. She testified that he hugged her and said, 'It didn't happen the way we thought it would, did it?'

The case remains before the jury, with Botner's testimony forming part of the wider evidence being presented against Flynn.