Former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the murder of his wife, Ashley Flynn, in Ohio.
Flynn, 40, received the sentence on Monday after a Miami County jury convicted him of killing his 37-year-old wife.
The former music pastor had previously claimed that an intruder broke into the couple’s home in Tipp City and shot Ashley while she was sleeping.
However, jurors rejected his version of events after eight days of testimony and evidence presented by prosecutors that they said connected Flynn to the killing.
Judge Jeannine Pratt subsequently sentenced Flynn to life behind bars without the possibility of parole.
During the sentencing hearing, the court heard letters written by Flynn’s two daughters, who pleaded with their father to acknowledge responsibility for their mother’s death and questioned why he had killed her.
One of the daughters wrote: “How could you do such a thing?”
She described Ashley as the perfect mother and said Flynn had taken away the only mother she had.
The second daughter notably referred to him as “Caleb” instead of “Daddy.” She called on him to come clean about what happened and take responsibility for his actions.
The emotional statements reportedly left Flynn crying in the courtroom.
Prosecutors say Caleb Flynn staged the murder scene
Ashley Flynn was shot inside the couple’s home in February. Flynn initially told investigators that he had been sleeping when he was awakened by the sound of gunshots.
