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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/29\/us\/caleb-flynn-verdict-murder-wife.html?ae=oa&emc=edit_nn_20260930&nl=the-morning&segment_id=227287",
    "parsed_content": "AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTFormer Music Pastor Is Convicted of His Wife\u2019s MurderThe trial in Ohio attracted outsize attention because the defendant, Caleb Flynn, auditioned on \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d in 2013.Listen \u00b7 4:16 min Share full articleCaleb Flynn, a former music pastor who auditioned for \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d in 2013, was found guilty on Tuesday of murdering his wife, Ashley, in February.Credit...Pool photoBy Jennifer Sinco KelleherSept. 29, 2026See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra m\u00e1s de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de b\u00fasqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google A jury in Ohio on Tuesday convicted a former music pastor who once auditioned for \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d of murder, finding him guilty of killing his wife.Jurors deliberated for about two and a half hours before finding the former pastor, Caleb Flynn, 40, guilty of aggravated murder and other charges in the killing of his wife, Ashley, who was shot twice in their home in Tipp City, Ohio, in February.Mr. Flynn, who claimed that an intruder shot his wife, faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced on Monday.L. Patrick Mulligan, a lawyer for Mr. Flynn, said he planned to appeal the verdict. \u201cWe appreciate the attention that the jury gave, but I can assure everyone that the decision will be thoroughly tested in first, the Court of Appeals, and as many courts of courts of appeals as it needs to be put in front of,\u201d he said in a phone interview.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe nine-day trial drew outsize public attention to a courtroom in Troy, a small city north of Dayton. Jurors and a gallery that held several dozen spectators heard details of Mr. Flynn\u2019s affair with a woman he met when she was a 20-year-old intern at his church, including readings of their text messages and playbacks of the love songs that prosecutors said Mr. Flynn created for her using artificial intelligence.\u201cIt was a very small courtroom and so there was a struggle for people to get in every day,\u201d Mr. Mulligan said. \u201cIt was as intense as I\u2019ve ever personally experienced.\u201dMr. Flynn appeared briefly in the 12th season of \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d in 2013, telling viewers in an interview segment that he loved his wife. He auditioned for the judges Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson and Nicki Minaj but did not advance to the main competition, The Associated Press reported.At his trial, the defense never denied that Mr. Flynn was unfaithful to his wife, but Mr. Mulligan said, \u201cIt\u2019s a heck of a penalty to go to the penitentiary because you\u2019re having an affair.\u201dJurors heard text messages in which Mr. Flynn said he hated his wife, with whom he had two daughters, and wanted her dead.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\u201cThe defendant wanted to be a victim,\u201d Matthew Joseph, an assistant Miami County prosecutor, said in a closing argument that was livestreamed by Court TV. \u201cThe evidence shows that he wanted to keep his mistress and have his daughters all to himself, and being the victim allowed him to do that without being the husband who left his wife for his mistress.\u201dMr. Joseph said that claiming an intruder shot his wife would allow Mr. Flynn to keep his lucrative job working for his wife\u2019s family, her life insurance and his reputation as a church worship leader.Mr. Flynn closed his eyes when the judge read the verdict finding him guilty on all nine counts. He appeared to cry and wiped his nose with a tissue as the judge polled the jurors. He later sat down, leaned forward and appeared to sob.\u201cNo verdict can bring Ashley back, give the girls back their mother, or erase the pain her family has endured,\u201d the victim\u2019s family said in a statement that Paul Watkins, the Miami County prosecuting attorney, read to reporters after the verdict was announced, according to WLWT-TV.Mr. Flynn\u2019s link to \u201cAmerican Idol,\u201d seemed to be the \u201cinitial attraction\u201d that brought widespread attention to the case, Mr. Mulligan said.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\u201cHe was a contestant, but I didn\u2019t really pay a great deal of attention to that,\u201d Mr. Mulligan said. \u201cFrom what I understand, he has a nice voice. That\u2019s all I know.\u201dIn a 2013 \u201cRoad to Hollywood\u201d interview on \u201cAmerican Idol,\u201d Mr. Flynn called himself a music pastor.\u201cI love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty,\u201d Mr. Flynn said in the segment, adding, \u201cI\u2019m just a normal person who absolutely loves to sing more than anything in the world.\u201dAdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT",
    "published_at": "2026-09-30T03:33:08+00:00",
    "author_name": "Jennifer Sinco Kelleher",
    "site_name": "The New York Times",
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    "ai_headline": "Former Music Pastor Is Convicted of His Wife\u2019s Murder",
    "ai_simplified_title": "Caleb Flynn Convicted of Wife's Murder in Ohio",
    "ai_excerpt": "Caleb Flynn, a former music pastor and \"American Idol\" auditionee, was found guilty of murdering his wife, Ashley, in Ohio. The trial garnered significant attention due to Flynn's past appearance on the reality show and details of his affair.",
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