The case against a former Ohio music pastor who once appeared on “American Idol” went to the jury Tuesday to decide whether he killed his wife while having an affair.
Caleb Flynn, 40, is charged with aggravated murder, assault and tampering with evidence in the February shooting of Ashley Flynn, 37, a schoolteacher and volleyball coach.
Flynn, who pleaded not guilty, said in a frantic 911 call that a burglar killed her. He faces up to life in prison if convicted on the most serious charges.
Flynn appeared on “American Idol” in 2013, telling TV viewers his wife had encouraged him to chase his dreams on the singing competition. He did not advance to the main competition in Hollywood.
Prosecutors told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday that Flynn tried to mislead investigators by staging a break-in at their home in Tipp City, a suburb north of Dayton. Flynn and the couple's two daughters were home when police arrived.
Flynn wanted out of the marriage, prosecutors said, but also didn't want to lose his daughters, his high-paying job at his wife’s family business or his position in the church.
“He wanted to keep his mistress and have his daughters all to himself,” said Matthew Joseph, an assistant Miami County prosecutor.
During the trial, a woman who said she was having an affair with Flynn testified that he said he hated his wife and had thoughts of killing her.
Flynn's attorney told the jury Tuesday that investigators never found a gun or evidence that Flynn fired a gun that day.
“His being unfaithful doesn’t equal murder,” said defense attorney Patrick Mulligan. “The issue here isn't, ‘Was he a good husband?’”
Text messages Flynn sent to his lover complaining about his wife were meant to make her feel good, Mulligan said.
Alleigha Botner testified she met Flynn in 2022 while she was a 20-year-old intern at his church and had an affair with him for more than a year. Botner read some of her text messages with Flynn.
About six months before the killing, Flynn wrote: “I was up until 4 a.m. last night crying, literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail.”
Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed.
Caleb Flynn listens to court proceedings inside the Miami County Court of Common Pleas on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in Troy, Ohio. (AP Photo, Pool)
Caleb Flynn, left, sits next to Emily Smith, right, one of his attorneys on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in the Miami County Court of Common Pleas in Troy, Ohio. (AP Photo, Pool)
PUERTO SAN CARLOS, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Polo pummeled the Mexican state of Baja California Sur with powerful winds and rain as it made landfall Tuesday, leaving coastal areas flooded and streets littered with fallen trees.
The Category 2 hurricane struck land just south of Las Barrancas, Mexico, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Cabo San Lazaro with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph).
About 700 people remained in shelters Tuesday. But they were expected to return to their homes, and no serious damage or deaths were immediately reported, according to authorities.
After the hurricane passed over the small fishing town of Puerto San Carlos on the Baja California peninsula, residents waded among downed trees through ankle-high water that flooded some homes. Seeing their roughened community largely intact brought relief to those who had prepared for the worst.
Shopkeeper Elbia María Bachomo, 40, picked through furniture strewn through her home. She and her three children had gathered their clothes quickly and left for a shelter Monday as water began flooding into their home.
Her husband was out on the water fishing for sardines when Polo hit. Bachomo said he was fortunate to escape alive.
“I thought, ‘Oh no, what are we going to come back to? We will be left with nothing.’ But we were lucky,” she said.
Polo was expected to produce 6 to 12 inches (about 15 to 30 centimeters) of rain across parts of Baja California Sur. By late Tuesday morning, a weakened Polo made a second landfall and moved inland in the Mexican state of Sonora after crossing the Gulf of California.
Forecasters predicted Polo would hit the Mexican mainland with life-threatening winds and flash floods. Sonora officials suspended all “nonessential” activities, including school, sports and nonessential work in the state capital and more than a dozen municipalities.
Meanwhile, the hurricane center reported Tropical Storm Rachel was moving parallel to Mexico's coast early Tuesday. The storm was about 265 miles (425 kilometers) southwest of Lazaro Cardenos with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (105 kph). It was moving west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).
Bands of rain continued to sweep across the U.S. Southwest on Tuesday, causing desert rivers to surge and usually dry arroyos to rage with floodwater. Nearly all of the region was under flood watches as the complex system of tropical weather — with Polo the main event — spread northeast from Mexico.
Forecasters warned north-central New Mexico including Albuquerque and Santa Fe could feel the brunt, with as much as 3 to 4 inches (about 8 to 10 centimeters) of rain through Wednesday and possibly more.
“Definitely looking at the chances for urban flooding,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Carter Greulich in Albuquerque. “Don’t drive through flooded roadways. Remain out of the arroyos, especially in our urban areas.”
The system made a brisk pass through Phoenix early Tuesday, dumping up to 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain before tapering. North of the city, a truck was swept away in a wash in the New River area. The driver got out safely, Maricopa County sheriff’s officials said.
The rocky, desert area typically gets less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain annually with little vegetation to soak it up, making flash flooding a perpetual risk.
Near Zion National Park in Utah, the East Fork of the Virgin River raged with chocolate floodwater seen carrying a shipping container downstream.
In the small town of Orderville, Utah, where flooding began Monday night, Sabrina Dubay was driving home when her partner called and told her to stay away.
“The river came in and swept around the entirety of our house,” Dubay said, adding that her partner told her, “We’re about to lose everything.”
A camper, snowmobile trailer, and other items from Dubay’s yard were swept away by the river. Neighbors and friends arrived to dig a trench around the house as the water rose around their home.
“It was coming in through our front doors,” she said.
Flooding also was reported in southern New Mexico. An unusually soggy September across the region set the stage: When the ground is saturated, rainfall has nowhere to go but run off.
“Runoff is likely going to start much quicker and lead to those flooding impacts quicker,” Greulich said.
In the central Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Nolo remained a dangerous Category 3 hurricane on Tuesday as it edged away from Hawaii after drenching parts of the Big Island over the weekend.
Pacific storm activity has been above average during what is already the peak of hurricane season. That pattern is consistent with El Niño years, when the Pacific often sees more tropical storms and hurricanes.
Nolo was about 270 miles (435 kilometers) south-southeast of French Frigate Shoals with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph) moving north, at 9 mph (15 kph).
The hurricane was approaching Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, a marine conservation area, according to the hurricane center.
Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Eduardo Verdugo in Puerto San Carlos, Mexico, Julie Walker in New York, Mead Gruver in Fort Collins, Colorado, Mikella Schuettler in Phoenix and Eugene Garcia and Gregory Bull in Hilo, Hawaii, contributed to this report.
Workers pull a boat to shore as Hurricane Polo approaches Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
People evacuate their homes as Hurricane Polo approaches Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Residents are evacuated by the Army as Hurricane Polo approaches Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
People evacuate their homes as Hurricane Polo approaches Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Workers pull a boat to shore as Hurricane Polo approaches Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
