A onetime American Idol hopeful is now accused of killing his wife and trying to pass it off as a home invasion. Caleb Flynn, 39, has been charged in Miami County, Ohio, with murder, felonious assault, and evidence tampering in the Monday shooting death of his wife, Ashley Flynn, according to a criminal complaint filed in municipal court, reports NBC News. Caleb Flynn pleaded not guilty on Friday and is being held on a $2 million cash bond, per court and jail records. His attorney said in a statement that Flynn looks forward to contesting the allegations, adding that the defense is "disappointed and concerned" about what it views as a rushed investigation.
Police in Tipp City initially responded around 2:30am on Monday to a report of a burglary in progress. In a 911 call heard by NBC, Flynn can be heard urgently telling a dispatcher that an intruder had entered the home, the garage door was open, and his wife had been shot twice in the head. Their two children were in the house at the time, authorities said. A detective now alleges in the complaint that Flynn shot his 37-year-old wife with a 9mm handgun, altered the scene to appear as a break-in, and misled officers.
The filing doesn't detail what led investigators to conclude the scene was staged, and police haven't publicly discussed a possible motive. When Flynn appeared in 2013 on Season 12 of American Idol, where he self-described as a "music pastor," he declared he loved his wife "more than anything," per Deadline and People. "She is very, very pretty, just oof, I love her." Ashley Flynn worked as a substitute teacher and middle school volleyball coach in Tipp City, where the district remembered her as a devoted educator who made a positive impression.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
