Former “American Idol” contestant Caleb Flynn was convicted Tuesday of murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, following an Ohio trial that exposed his secret affair and a series of messages about wanting his wife dead.
Flynn was found guilty on all counts.
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Flynn faced nine charges: one count of aggravated murder, three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and three counts of tampering with evidence involving the missing firearm, the side garage door and emails. Jurors also considered firearm specifications attached to several charges.
Flynn broke down as the guilty counts came one after another, visibly shaking and wiping tears from his face. He repeatedly dropped his head toward the defense table, his eyes red and tear-filled when he looked back up.
Sentencing is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Oct. 5.
Flynn’s lead attorney, Patrick Mulligan, said after the verdict that he expects the conviction to be appealed.
“While we respect the system, certainly, we’re disappointed,” Mulligan told reporters. “I fully anticipate that there will be a notice of appeal filed, and this decision will be tested thoroughly in the Court of Appeals.”
Mulligan said Flynn faces possible sentences on the aggravated murder conviction ranging from 20 years to life, to life without parole, with an additional three years tied to the firearm specification. He said the first six counts will merge for sentencing.
While speaking with reporters after the verdict, Miami County Prosecutor Paul Watkins thanked jurors and law enforcement before urging attention to shift away from Flynn.
“To be quite honest, I’m tired of talking about Caleb Flynn,” Watkins said. “It’s time for the community, the media and everyone else to turn their focus on to Ashley.”
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Watkins then read a statement from Ashley’s family, who said the verdict brought “justice and accountability” but could not bring Ashley back or “give the girls back their mother.”
“The cruelty of what happened to Ashley and the things we’ve been forced to hear and relive have at times felt unbearable,” the family said. “But through all of it, we’ve held tightly to this truth: Ashley’s life will not be defined by the way it ended. She’ll be remembered for the way she lived.”
The family described Ashley’s faith and devotion to her daughters before asking for privacy as they continue to grieve.
“Please remember Ashley not for how she died, but for how beautifully she lived,” the statement read.
Prosecutors alleged Flynn shot Ashley in the back of the head inside their Tipp City home before staging the scene to look like an intruder had broken in.
WATCH: Caleb Flynn prosecutors argued the evidence did not line up with his account
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Flynn pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges.
Prosecutors built a largely circumstantial case against Flynn. Investigators never recovered the gun they alleged was used to kill Ashley, there was no eyewitness to the shooting and testimony showed no gunshot residue was found on Flynn.
WATCH: Prosecutor argues Ashley Flynn was ‘executed’ in her sleep during closing arguments
Jurors also heard two days of testimony from Flynn’s former mistress, Alleigha Botner, who detailed their roughly year-and-a-half affair and walked them through many of the more than 107,000 messages the pair exchanged, including explicit discussions about Ashley’s death.
In one May 2025 message, Flynn allegedly wrote, “If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat.”
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Months later, Botner testified Flynn told her he had stayed up until 4 a.m. “literally thinking of ways to kill her and not go to jail.”
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The pair’s communications in the hours before Ashley was killed also became a focus of the trial.
Shortly after midnight Feb. 16, Flynn allegedly told Botner, “It’s happening.”
He later wrote, “February 16th – day I’ll never forget.”
“You’re about to be free,” Botner responded.
“I choose you,” Flynn replied.
Botner testified she understood Flynn’s plans at the time to mean he intended to finally leave Ashley and seek a divorce – not kill her.
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Flynn’s attorneys argued prosecutors failed to prove he killed Ashley, pointing to the missing murder weapon, lack of eyewitnesses and absence of gunshot residue while accusing investigators of rushing to judgment.
“This simply is proven versus not proven,” Mulligan told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday.
While speaking with reporters after the verdict was read, Mulligan defended the decision to rest without calling witnesses.
“It’s simply a matter of them not showing the elements,” Mulligan said of prosecutors.
Asked why Flynn did not testify, Mulligan pointed to the three recorded police interviews jurors had already watched.
“You heard his statement three times with the police,” Mulligan said. “There wasn’t any reason to put him on for a fourth time.”
Jurors received the case Tuesday after closing arguments and lengthy instructions from Judge Jeannine N. Pratt.
Before the verdict, Laura Niemi, a jury consultant with Magna Legal Services and assistant research professor of psychology at Cornell University, told Fox News Digital that jurors faced two tasks: deciding which side’s story best explained the evidence, then determining whether prosecutors proved each of the nine charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The prosecution presented a cohesive circumstantial case. The defense challenged the links holding that case together,” Niemi said. “The verdict is going to depend on whether jurors can see one reliable chain of evidence or unsupported leaps.”
Niemi said Flynn’s affair and messages could make him appear “dishonest, callous, dangerous, even,” but cautioned that “bad character is not proof of murder.” Their significance, she said, depended on whether other evidence connected Flynn’s words to Ashley’s killing.
Jurors deliberated for roughly three hours Tuesday before returning guilty verdicts on all nine charges.
