Authorities in Ohio have charged a former contestant on “American Idol” with shooting and killing his wife and staging the crime scene to mislead investigators.
Caleb Flynn, 39, was arrested by Tipp City police on Thursday, Feb. 19, at his home and booked into the Miami County Jail, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of murder, assault and tampering with evidence.
“I just want to take care of my daughters. I’m not a risk,” he told Judge Samuel Huffman in a video of his arraignment from jail.
The judge set his bond at $2 million.
Caleb Flynn appeared in season 12 of “American Idol.” In an interview posted to the show’s YouTube channel in 2013, he described himself as a music pastor.
“The thing that makes me unique … I absolutely love the Lord. I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very, very pretty,” he said. “I’m just a normal person who absolutely loves to sing more than anything in the world.”
Ashley Flynn, a 37-year-old middle school volleyball coach and former teacher, was found dead Monday after officers received a report of a burglary and shooting at a Tipp City home, according to a news release by Tipp City Police. Her husband and two children were inside the home when officers arrived.
In a 911 call released by authorities, a frantic Caleb Flynn tells a dispatcher someone broke into his home and killed his wife. He says she was shot multiple times in the head and he doesn’t know whether the intruder was still there.
“There’s blood everywhere, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” he says.
His attorney, Patrick Mulligan, said in a statement on Saturday that he and Flynn were “disappointed and concerned about the short timeline and seeming rush to judgment in this case.” Police arrested Flynn on Thursday. “When the government runs out of leads or can’t develop leads and looks at a surviving spouse in cases such as these, the chance of a wrongful conviction increases,” the statement said.
Tipp City Police Chief Greg Adkins defended the investigation, saying in an email on Saturday that it had “not moved fast.”
“Rather, it has progressed at a pace dictated by a thorough and deliberate investigative process,” he said.
In a statement to CBS affiliate WHIO-TV, Ashley Flynn’s family said they believe law enforcement officials took “proper steps” in the arrest of Caleb Flynn.
“Our hearts are shattered. Ashley brought endless light to our world, and we are trying to navigate this immense loss,” the family said in the statement. “Our family believes this arrest was made carefully and not without serious consideration. After speaking with both local police and federal authorities, we trust the proper steps were taken, and the process is being handled appropriately.”
Ashley Flynn was also a substitute teacher, Tipp City Schools said on its Facebook page.
“She was known for her beautiful smile, warmth, kindness, and the positive impact she had on so many—both in and out of the classroom and on the court,” the post said.
