Caleb Flynn, a contestant on Season 12 of American Idol, has been arrested and charged with his wife’s death.
Ashley Flynn, 37, was found shot in her home early Monday morning (Feb. 16). Initial reports indicated that Ashley was shot during a home invasion while her husband, Caleb, and two daughters slept. Caleb reportedly found his wife’s body and called 911, stating that there had been a home invasion.
“It’s a targeted incident at that residence only,” Tipp City Police Chief Greg Adkins said at the time. “There’s no information available to us right now that is pointing us to believe that the public’s in any danger. I don’t think it was just, you know, a random act of violence that occurred there.
Local authorities enlisted the FBI’s help investigating the case, which led to the arrest of Caleb Flynn.
Flynn, 39, was arrested on Thursday and has been charged with one count of homicide in the death of his wife. He also faces two counts of felonious assault and two counts of tampering with evidence.
Caleb was arraigned on Friday and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is being held on $2 million bond. His next hearing is set for Thursday, February 26.
911 Call Made By Caleb Flynn Released
Caleb Flynn placed a call to 911 in the early hours of Monday morning, telling dispatchers that someone had broken into his home and shot his wife.
“Are they still in there?” the dispatcher asked.
Caleb replied, “I don’t know. I don’t know. My wife is. She’s got two shots to her head. There’s blood everywhere. Oh my God. Oh my God.”
Caleb Flynn told the dispatcher he didn’t see anyone in the house, but said that the garage door was open. Flynn told the dispatcher he was in the bedroom with his wife, who was unresponsive.
“You are not with the children?” the dispatcher asked.
“I was with the children when it happened,” Caleb Flynn said.
“OK, but you’re not with them now?” the dispatcher asked.
“No. They’re in their room. They’re not even awake. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God,” Caleb Flynn said.
Two small shell casings were found near the bed when authorities arrived on the scene. Police said Caleb allowed officers to enter the home and walk through the house. The police report stated that they observed some odd facts while walking through the Flynn residence.
“As we exited this master bedroom, we walked to the garage, where we observed a side door of the garage on the north side of the home that was open. As we were looking at the door, we noticed the door had a large fridge in front of it that would’ve had to be pushed to open the door,” the report states.
Police also wrote in the report that the center console was open inside a truck parked in the garage. Caleb Flynn told officers that is where he keeps his handgun. No further details about the weapon or motive have been given.
Who is Caleb Flynn?
Caleb Flynn appeared on Season 12 of American Idol. He earned a coveted Golden Ticket after singing “Lean On Me” for then-judges Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban. He was eliminated during Hollywood Week.
Flynn and his wife were active members of the Christian Life Center church in Butler Township, where Caleb served in the music ministry. The couple shared two daughters.
During his appearance on American Idol, Caleb spoke about his wife, sharing how much he loved her and that she is “very, very pretty.” When asked who his favorite Idol was, he named Carrie Underwood, adding that if his wife dyed her hair blonde she would look just like Carrie.
Ashley Flynn was a girls’ volleyball coach, substitute teacher at a local public school, and a teacher for LifeWise Academy in Tipp City, “a nonprofit that provides Bible-based education to public school students away from campus during school hours.”
