Pastor who competed on American Idol gets life in prison for murd£ring wife

Pastor who competed on American Idol gets life in prison for murdering wife

Caleb Flynn, a former music pastor and one-time American Idol contestant, has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife.

The 40-year-old was convicted of killing Ashley after a jury rejected his claim that an intruder had broken into their Ohio home and shot her in her sleep.

Flynn fatally shot his 37-year-old wife, a teacher, in February, then staged their Tipp City home to suggest a break-in through the garage.

He was also found guilty on eight additional charges, including aggravated murder and evidence tampering.

On Monday, presiding judge Jeannine Pratt called Flynn an “extreme risk” to the public as she imposed the sentence.

During the hearing, letters from his daughters, aged 9 and 11, were read aloud. They begged him to finally admit his guilt and asked why he had killed their mother.

One of his daughters’ letters read: “Dear Daddy, I don’t even know where to start. How could you do such a thing? Mommy was the perfect person… And then you chose to kill the only mother I ever had.”

The other daughter addressed him as “Dear Caleb” rather than as her father and said she would never visit him in prison.

Flynn wept as his children’s letters were read.

Kayla Keyt, his wife’s sister, said the murder had caused his daughters to question their Christian faith and had “shattered a family who trusted you”.

Flynn also read a statement in which he expressed his love for his family, apologised for unspecified “decisions” he had made and maintained that he did not kill his wife.