Former "American Idol" contestant's ex-mistress testifies she believes he killed his wife
Alleigha Botner, 24, told a Ohio court she now despises Caleb Flynn after alleging he murdered his wife, citing his alleged statements and their affair as motive.
Alleigha Botner, a 24-year-old former church intern, testified Wednesday that she now loathes former "American Idol" contestant Caleb Flynn because she believes he murdered his wife, Ashley Flynn, in February. Botner said the relationship, which began when she was 21, turned sour after Flynn allegedly expressed hatred toward his spouse and discussed wanting her dead.
Flynn, 40, faces charges of first-degree murder and related offenses after investigators say he shot his wife in their Ohio home and staged the scene. Prosecutors have highlighted his affair with Botner as a possible motive.
During the hearing, Botner recounted that her cellphone and laptop disappeared weeks before the killing, offering explanations that she dropped the phone while kayaking in Florida and left the laptop on a plane. She also described how Flynn allegedly told her he hated his wife, referred to her with derogatory terms, and sent a text saying “actions will come tomorrow.”
Botner said she first learned of Ashley Flynn’s death from a church member who forwarded a news article, noting the timing coincided with Flynn’s divorce proceedings. Flynn has entered a not-guilty plea and claims an unidentified intruder was responsible for the shooting.