Caleb Flynn, a former pastor who briefly appeared on American Idol, was sentenced to life without parole after an Ohio jury convicted him of murdering his wife, Ashley.
The sentence was handed down in Ohio on October 5. The jury convicted Flynn last week in the killing of Ashley Flynn, who was shot at their home in Tipp City, north of Dayton, on February 16. Flynn, 40, continued to maintain his innocence in court.
Prosecutors said he staged a break-in after the shooting to make it appear that an intruder had killed her. The trial lasted nine days and included testimony about Flynn’s relationship with a woman he met when she was an intern at his church.
Judge Jeannine Pratt said Flynn had used his faith to influence others. His lawyer, L. Patrick Mulligan, said he planned to appeal the verdict. The Associated Press reported that the weapon was not found and the defense argued investigators had not established that Flynn fired a gun that day.
Flynn appeared briefly in the 12th season of American Idol in 2013 but did not advance beyond the audition stage. Letters from his two daughters were read in court during the sentencing hearing.