Former Worship Pastor Caleb Flynn Gets Life in Prison as Daughters Urge Him to Repent
Former worship pastor and ‘American Idol’ alum Caleb Flynn was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Ashley Flynn, and openly sobbed as he heard written statements from his two daughters urging him to repent.
Flynn murdered Ashley, 37, in their Tipp City, Ohio, home in the middle of the night on Feb. 16. He had planned to kill her as seen through 100,000 of his hate-filled text messages about her that he had sent to his former mistress, Alleigha Botner, whom he met while she was an intern at his church, in the past year leading up to Ashely’s death.
The daughters, who are now 10 and 12 years old, respectively, had a maternal uncle and grandmother share what they wrote to their father through their victim impact statements, Protestia reported.
The children are now being raised by Kayla and Matthew Keyt, an aunt and uncle on their mother's side, according to WZTV.
When it came time for impact statements, Matthew read Ava's heart-wrenching letter in which she addressed her father.
"Dear Daddy, I don't even know where to start," she wrote. "How could you do such a thing? I looked up to you. I loved you with all my heart, and then you lied to everyone. Mommy was the perfect person —the absolute perfect person. What did she ever do to make you hate her so much? She loved you, and she cared for you. She took care of you. She loved you with all of her heart. She was my best friend, and then you chose to kill the only mother I ever had."
Later in the young girl's letter, she stressed to her father the importance of repentance and how he can still go to the Lord and ask for forgiveness.
“…Daddy, affairs are a big sin. But there is still a chance. There’s a choice for everything in life. All you have to do is tell God that you’re sorry and that you want to confess and repent to Him. I promise you it won’t take away your punishment, but you will have a life in heaven someday. I cry and cry every day, and my heart breaks to see the people I love hurt,” his youngest daughter, Ava, stated.
Meanwhile, Flynn’s oldest daughter, Alyssa, had her letter read by Jill Smith, the maternal grandmother of the two little girls. In her letter, Alyssa pushed her father to admit to the murder.
"Dear Caleb, this is your daughter, Alyssa. I loved you deeply with all my heart, and it's sad that you can't love anyone but yourself," the child wrote. "I wish that you could come to understand that actions have consequences, and you have a lot to pay. So, please, you have already caused so much pain to your family and the world, the least you could do is tell everyone you did it."
Additionally, Alyssa mentioned that her father still has time to confess his sins to God.
"Also, please repent to God - the One who created you. Your time isn't over."
She went on to point out how great a person her mother was and how her father threw it all away.
“By the way, Ashley Flynn was the best thing that ever happened to you. You had the best life ever. And you decided to throw it away for a girl who was half your age,” she added.
“How could you stand in that church and sing about how much you love God when you knew all the secrets you had inside? And watch your girls cheering you on and your wife, who believed in you so much and loved you more than life itself?”
Towards the end of her statement, Alyssa pointed to how God has been working through her and her family, despite how her father made her feel.
“And through all of what you put me through, God is going to work something out for good. And by the way, I don’t plan on coming to see you,” she concluded.
As reported by CNN News, Ashley's sister, Kayla Keyt, who is now raising the two girls, also addressed the court. In her statement to Flynn, she hopes to honor her late sister by raising her two daughters and teaching them to love deeply.
“Caleb, you took Ashley from this earth, you took a mother from her daughters, you shattered a family that trusted you, and you created pain that Alyssa and Ava will carry in some form for the rest of their lives,” Keyt said.
“But you did not take Jesus from them,” she added. “You did not take heaven from Ashley, and you did not destroy our faith.”
Flynn, who later addressed the court, apologized to his late wife’s family for breaking their wedding vows and thanked his family for their “unwavering love.” At the same time, however, he maintained his innocence and told prosecutors he did not kill Ashley.
“I will continue to fight for my innocence as long as the Lord allows me to,” he said.
Photo Credit: ©YouTube.com/Law&CrimeTrials - ScreenGrab
Originally published October 07, 2026.
