‘Crybaby’ Caleb Flynn SLAMMED as He’s Locked Up for Life

mommy was the perfect person the absolute perfect person what did she ever do to make you hate her so much she loved you with all her heart she was my best friend and then you chose to kill the only mother i ever had you truly don't understand how much you hurt my life you made me feel like an idiot thinking that i could trust you sharp words in letters written by caleb flynn's daughters as their dad is sent to prison for the rest of his life for killing their mom we'll show you the final words ashley flynn's family delivered to the man who they thought they knew but even with the verdict evidence and pleas for a sign of any kind of accountability from people who once loved caleb flynn he used his final chance to speak in court to say this i am not why when i say i did not kill my wife we will take you in the courtroom and we'll talk about the emotion that took place and we'll also share with you the new information we just learned today about caleb flynn's daughters and what he did before his arrest that makes this crime even more horrific we're on the case presented by law and crime i'm chris stewart we will get to anjanette levy a host of the next episode of the law and crime podcast we will get to anjanette levy a host of the next episode of the law and crime podcast we will get to anjanette levy we will get to anjanette levy a host of the next episode of the law and crime podcast we will get to anjanette levy a host of crime fix here on law and crime in just a moment she was in the courtroom for the sentencing hearing today and wow you think of the dynamic in that courtroom you think of the emotion in the courtroom what we couldn't see on camera caleb flynn was given a chance to speak for the first time since his arrest back in february and he's in a courtroom surrounded by people who once loved him the people who he hurt most ashley's family a family now tasked with raising his two young daughters and those young girls who are now in the courtroom for the sentencing hearing today caleb flynn was given a chance to speak for the first time since his arrest back in february and he's in a courtroom surrounded by people who once loved him the people who he hurt most ashley's family and those young girls who are now in the courtroom for the sentencing hearing today wrote letters that carried some of the most powerful and cutting words spoken in court today now from the start of this hearing caleb flynn had tears in his eyes he once called himself a crybaby when he was on american idol but those tears frankly didn't do much it seemed for the people in the gallery when it came to sympathy certainly didn't do it for the judge or the prosecutor paul walkins defend caleb flynn did not kill a stranger in a sudden confrontation he murdered his wife ashley the mother of his two young daughters while she lay asleep and defenseless in bed his own words revealed not merely marital unhappiness but a progression from resentment to hatred to a desire that actually disappear and finally to thoughts about how to kill her while avoiding prison the defendant attempted to stage the scene as a burglary instead of accepting responsibility the defendant immediately introduced an unknown intruder into the story of the murder of ashley we also learned today that prosecutors say that caleb flynn told his young daughters those girls 10 and 12 years old they were asleep in the house in the early morning hours of february 16th when caleb flynn killed their mom we learned today that caleb flynn tried to coach those girls on what to say to law enforcement and to deny that they were coached by caleb flynn now that was information not presented at trial but was part of the sentencing memorandum that prosecutors presented to the court ahead of time before his daughter's forensic interviews he spoke to each child privately both children later described instructions from the defendant concerning what they should say he said that caleb flynn told them that their statements could be the difference between life and death for him he told them to deny that he had coached them and concealed the conversations from others thus after taking the mother from them the defendant attempted to use his grieving daughters to reinforce the story he had created to protect himself the evidence exposed his planning his deception and his efforts to manipulate the investigation and the defendant has never accepted responsibility or expressed genuine remorse and the defendant has never accepted responsibility or expressed genuine remorse for the life he ended. Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole is not excessive under these circumstances. It is the only sentence that adequately reflects the gravity of this plan and calculated execution. Now it was unclear if Caleb Flynn was going to say anything at all. His sentencing memorandum that his defense filed before the hearing stated that Caleb Flynn still says he is innocent. And Caleb Flynn came to court with multiple pages with a handwritten statement. And he was given the opportunity to speak. And he started by talking to his daughters, these girls whose mom he took from the world. I don't know if they'll ever be able to hear this. I want to say it regardless. I love you too. With absolutely everything inside of me. The day you both were born were days that forever changed my life for the better. I never knew that love this fierce was possible until the moment that I held you for the first time. You both are my greatest joy in this life. Please know your daddy is so proud of you. loves you beyond what words can describe. I have so many thoughts and dreams of raising you and seeing you grow up to be mighty women of God. But unfortunately I can't. It's why I'm sorry. I want to be there for your most important moments. And for that I'm sorry. But there's so much I wish I could be there for. And so my heart breaks knowing I can't. But please know again I dearly love you both. Miss you more than you'll ever know. You're amazing and perfect in every way. Seek the Lord every day. Continue being the most amazing, kind, beautiful and sweet girls you are. And Jesus will continue giving you exactly what you need. And will give you beautiful lives you deserve. I could speak for hours and hours but never forget. I love you. Then Flynn addressed his parents. To my parents, where do I even start? Some people are given a good mom and a rough dad or a great dad and a mom who's not there. But rarely are people blessed with both. The best mom and dad like I am. Your support, encouragement and prayers throughout this entire nightmare is not normal but supernatural. Your constant and unwavering love for me is what. Every son or daughter desires from their parents. And you gave it with no strings attached. And you gave it with your whole heart. I am even more proud to be your son and be unblessed to call you mom and dad. I love you guys with all my heart and hope you know I value and treasure you as much as I know how. I know the Lord's not done yet. But thank you for walking with me on this journey. I'm sorry I won't be able to have our morning coffee and devotions. Not yet. I'm sorry I can't gather eggs with the girls. Not yet. I'm sorry I can't take care of you both. Yet. I'm sorry I will miss so much. But know I love you with all my heart. And thank you. You are the greatest parents in this world. Then Caleb Flynn addressed his brother. To my brother. Adam, you are a good man. You are an honorable man. You are someone I look up to more than you probably ever even knew. You really are the greatest big brother in this world. I can't thank you enough for the way you have loved and supported me. Not just these past eight months but my entire life. We didn't need to talk every day or say a lot of words to remain close. We just were. I am beyond proud to call you my brother, to call you my best friend. Early on you told me that no matter what you were my brother's keeper and you are. Thank you for your unfailing love for me. You are who I want to be when I grow up. I love you Adam and know the Lord has a plan for you. The Lord loves you. The Lord sees you. So after addressing his own family, he turned to the family of his victim. Many of them had to testify during this trial. I made vows to Ashley on her wedding day. What? I failed those valves, and through my decisions, I have caused you guys an incredible amount of pain. Through those decisions, I'm sure you have felt betrayal, confusion, anger, and so much more. In all the words that don't come close, I cannot apologize enough. You have heard awful and hurtful things that I've said, and I am so incredibly sorry. As horrible as those things were, I want you to know whether you believe it or not. Thank you. I did not or do not mean them. I do not hate you, and I love you all. I take complete accountability and responsibility for my words and my decisions, and again, I'm so sorry. I am so sorry. And pray you can one day forgive me. Todd, Jill, Matt, and Kayla, I want to thank you for your years of love, support, and encouragement. Thank you for the opportunity of employment and all that you gave me. To Matt and Kayla specifically, thank you for willingly stepping in to do Ashley and I's greatest desire, which is taking care of the girls if something were to happen. Matt, Matt, I know you will, but please love my girls as hard as you know how. Protect them at all costs. Care for their beautiful hearts and be everything they need you to be to them. What I am most ashamed of and I regret most of all is the awful things I said about Ashley. I loved her and loved her. She was my wife. She was beautiful and amazing in countless ways. Lastly, Caleb Flynn addressed the judge and proclaimed his innocence. I will continue to fight for my innocence as long as the Lord allows me to, as I did not kill my wife. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 says, trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight. Jesus, I love you. I acknowledge you as Lord and Savior of my life. I trust in you. Next, we heard the victim impact statements from Ashley's family and their words were incredibly powerful. I used to call my brother. When Ashley died and we learned that you were responsible, we were as shocked as anyone. We trusted you. We believed in you. We honestly would have laid down our lives for you. And because of that, one of my greatest fears was that people would look at you and what you had done and begin questioning whether any of this, Christianity, faith, Jesus, was real. How could someone profess to love Jesus while living an entirely different life behind closed doors? For months, our family prayed that you would confess and own up to all of your actions. But you didn't. Instead, you chose to drag us through a nationally televised trial and now the grotesque details of what happened to Ashley and the evil and vile things that you said about her and our family are permanently public. And 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. But you did not take Jesus from them. You did not take heaven from Ashley and you did not destroy our faith. And despite everything I've just said, I want you to know something else. I do forgive you. I've forgiven both you and Aaliyah, not because what happened should be ever excused or forgotten and certainly not because there shouldn't be severe consequences. I forgive you because I refuse to allow what you did to destroy another part of my life by filling my heart with hatred and bitterness. My wife and I are now raising four beautiful girls who are learning how to live together in a life that none of us expected. We do not know what the road ahead holds. And honestly, neither do we. There's no road map for helping children understand that their father murdered their mother while they were sleeping just 50 feet away. They repeatedly ask why he would do such a thing. How could he take their mother away and rob them of a lifetime? And they lose their lives. We obviously don't have an answer that can make that understandable or ease their pain. Caleb's decision created permanent loss that has created permanent consequences for our entire family, Ashley's daughters, and countless others. Therefore, for the safety of my family and the community around us, I respectfully ask the court to give Caleb a home in prison for a sentence that reflects the full extent of the law. We will never be able to enter any of our lives again. Perhaps the most impactful words, though, came from letters that were written by Caleb Flynn's own daughters. Dear Daddy, I don't even know where to start. 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 her heart. She was my best friend. And then you chose to kill the only mother I ever had. How could you cheat on her and go to that awful girl named Alia? I never liked her. She was just a girl who put on a microphone to her mouth and spoke words with a tune. Mommy may not have been a professional singer, but she had the voice of an angel. And she was an angel. She has been. She is. And she always will be. And plus, 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. You will have a life in heaven someday. My heart aches to see you hurt. But then I think it was your choice. It was your choice to have an affair. It was your choice to go off with that dirty girl. It was your choice to leave the perfect woman, Ashley. It was your choice to lie to everyone. It was your choice to leave your only two daughters. It was your choice to hide everything from everyone. only mother i've ever had unfortunately that was a choice that cannot be erased even though i really wish it could jesus i pray that you would help daddy and alia to repent to you and confess that they sinned please help them to realize what they've done to stop lying and to tell the truth to you in jesus name amen i promise you daddy that is every single night please tell jesus that you're sorry. And as I said before, it's not going to change your punishment, but it will determine your eternal reward someday. Remember, there's still a chance. There's a choice for everything. I hope you will bring Jesus back into your heart. Love, Ava. Did you really even think about how much pain you would bring your own two daughters? 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 And you decided to throw it away for a girl who was half your age. 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 you truly don't understand how much you hurt my life and I wish you could feel the pain I have been through something so tragic and to know that it was my father was just shocking you made me feel like an idiot thinking that I could trust you God is gonna work something out for good and by the way I don't plan on coming to see you when both of Ashley's parents then addressed the defendant on behalf of the whole family okay God cannot be mocked Amen and I want you to know that Jill myself and our whole entire family that's here and everywhere we forgive you for taking Ashley's life and also for what you have done to all of us we will not let anger or bitterness consume the wonderful memory of Ash the honor when we while we choose forgiveness for our own hearts we still desire absolute justice for Ashley because of the violent nature of her murder compounded by a lack of responsibility confessional remorse and we as a family ask you to sentence him to the fullest extent of the law he took our daughter a sister a granddaughter an aunt a cousin a teacher a coach a friend and a loving mother and the consequences should match the lifelong impact of this loss so let's talk about Judge Pratt and what she had to say your actions Mr. Flynn were abhorrent the layers of law should match the life long impact of this loss so let's talk about Judge Pratt and what she had to say your actions Mr. Flynn were abhorrent the layers of deceit manipulation and cruelty that you have shown are quite honestly impossible to fathom and frankly sir you used your faith to manipulate the lies of others and the court finds that deeply disturbing you could have walked away you could have separated from her and left her here on this earth to be able to be with the people that need her able to be with the people that need her able to be with the people that need her who loved her who look forward to having her who loved her who look forward to having her who loved her who look forward to having her in their lives but instead her in their lives but instead her in their lives but instead through your greed your selfishness your lust through your greed your selfishness your lust through your greed your selfishness your lust and your cruelty you chose to take and your cruelty you chose to take and your cruelty you chose to take Ashley's life and ultimately your Ashley's life and ultimately your Ashley's life and ultimately your daughter has asked the question that no daughter has asked the question that no daughter has asked the question that no child should ever have to ask and I child should ever have to ask and I child should ever have to ask and I quote what did Ashley ever do to make quote what did Ashley ever do to make quote what did Ashley ever do to make her life better the court cannot answer her life better the court cannot answer her life better the court cannot answer that question for her and there's no that question for her and there's no that question for her and there's no answer that can justify what you did no answer that can justify what you did no answer that can justify what you did no sentence can bring Ashley back to her sentence can bring Ashley back to her sentence can bring Ashley back to her children but there must be children but there must be children but there must be accountability and there must be justice accountability and there must be justice accountability and there must be justice mr. Flynn please stand mr. Flynn please stand therefore on count one aggravated murder therefore on count one aggravated murder therefore on count one aggravated murder and unclassified felony the court imposes and unclassified felony the court imposes a prison sentence of life without the a prison sentence of life without the a prison sentence of life without the possibility of parole which by possibility of parole which by possibility of parole which by operational law is a mandatory prison operational law is a mandatory prison operational law is a mandatory prison sentence we serve with the Ohio sentence we serve with the Ohio sentence we serve with the Ohio department of rehabilitation and department of rehabilitation and department of rehabilitation and corrections Caleb Flynn was also corrections Caleb Flynn was also corrections Caleb Flynn was also sentenced to an additional 16 years on sentenced to an additional 16 years on sentenced to an additional 16 years on the gun specifications connected to his the gun specifications connected to his the gun specifications connected to his charges in addition to his tampering charges in addition to his tampering charges in addition to his tampering with evidence charge lastly the judge with evidence charge lastly the judge with evidence charge lastly the judge said that he would be able to keep tabs said that he would be able to keep tabs said that he would be able to keep tabs on him if they are incarcerated and will on him if they are incarcerated and will on him if they are incarcerated and will be for the rest of their lives but in be for the rest of their lives but in be for the rest of their lives but in any chance that Caleb Flynn would be any chance that Caleb Flynn would be any chance that Caleb Flynn would be released from prison he would be in this released from prison he would be in this released from prison he would be in this database that would have for example database that would have for example database that would have for example his address vehicle identification his address vehicle identification his address vehicle identification numbers so the state would be able to numbers so the state would be able to Now, just out of court, Anjanette Levy, host of Crime Fix here on Law & Crime. I mean, just bluntly, Anjanette, like what was it like to be in there during this hearing? Well, it was very heavy, Chris, very emotional. You know, I was looking over at the Smith family, Ashley Flynn's mother, father, her sister and brother-in-law, Matthew Cate, were all there. And you could just see after Caleb Flynn spoke and as he was speaking, how disgusted they were by what they were hearing. Todd Smith, at times when Caleb Flynn would say some things, just kind of shook his head and you could see kind of like that kind of movement. I think that they were just appalled. This is my read, appalled as Christian people who welcomed Caleb Flynn into their home, into their family as a son and a brother. They were absolutely appalled and disgusted by what they were hearing from him. He started his speech, if you will, his statement to the court by addressing his daughters and then worked his way down through a bunch of people and then finally addressed the Smith family and talked about how he said things that he didn't mean in the text messages. He does not hate them. And so I think that this family has been through so much. I don't believe they believe a word that he says based on my observations of how they were looking as this was taking place. Jill Smith, who we all know, defended Caleb Flynn, told her husband, Todd, when he suggested this doesn't look good for Caleb, that she said, don't you even go there. And now and she was consoling him on the body camera footage that night when she went over to the home and learned that her daughter had been murdered. And she was just sitting there like. This at times, as Caleb Flynn spoke, you know, bowing her head and Kayla Kite was just kind of looking up. And I think that they are just horrified that he has not taken some accountability for what he has done. The jury says that Caleb Flynn, they are the triers of fact and finders of fact that he murdered his wife. That is what this verdict was. But he continues to say that he did not do this. So he is appealing. I will be. Appealing. And we'll see where it goes from there. Yeah, because I think when you you know, I wasn't sure if Caleb Flynn was going to say anything at all, but he comes in and he has, you know, it seemed like multiple pages of like this handwritten statement. And the only sorry that I think I counted in his statement was for things that he, you know, clearly the evidence. I mean, these messages, this this affair that was happening, like he was caught for this affair and he apologized for that. But knowing that he plans to appeal. This he was it's for as emotional as it was, it also seemed a little calculated because he did not apologize for what the jury has found him to do. But it also seemed like Ashley's family was prepared for that to be what his statement was going to be, because like Kayla Kite right after was talking about how he did not show any sort of accountability for his actions. And that seemed to be a central theme, not just in what she had to say, but even those letters by Caleb Flynn's daughters. The letters from Caleb Flynn's daughters were heartbreaking, gut wrenching. You know, Kayla Kite talking about one of her nieces who she's now raising because her mother has been murdered, talking about her bawling into her shoulder and being like, why would Jesus allow this to happen? And her faith, she's questioning her faith and her faith has been shaken. And Caleb Flynn, as Kayla Kite is saying this, and I'm sure you saw just like is, you know, he's just. He can't control himself. He's sobbing tears everywhere. There were a line of tissues like, you know, wet tissues after he was done and after the sentencing was done all over the table. So it was heartbreaking to hear about the impact that this homicide has had on these girls. You can only imagine that this is the impact that it has had. Now, today, we actually heard about it and how this family of faith. And this Christian family is now having to, you know, look to these girls who are very young and say, this is, you know, you can still believe in Jesus. You can still believe in God because, you know, the world is not a perfect place, essentially, and he's not here to fix everything. So this is going to be a very difficult road ahead for these two children. The one said that she will not be visiting her father in prison. And these girls are. Not going to probably ever have a relationship with their father again. And if they do, I assume that will happen very far into the future when they're adults. I mean, that was the line for me when it was just it seemed like very I mean, probably the most impactful words I felt that were spoken today were just those letters by these girls because we had heard about the girls. They were in the house when this happened. And and yet, like that line, it just seemed like for Caleb Flynn. got really emotional and you understand why, like with his daughter saying that she's never going to come see him. I know we talked during the trial that it seemed like his emotion was specific at times. There'd be certain moments where he would get emotional and then other times he would be more subdued. Was there anything today where it seemed like that really triggered him when you were watching him in court? Well, just hearing these victim impact statements was very emotional for him. That's when he started crying. And of course, he cried the hardest when listening to the statements from his daughters and from the daughters who now don't view him as their loving father that they used to view him as. They talked about him, you know, like, what did mommy do to make you hate her so much? And that dirty girl, Aaliyah, mommy might not have been a professional singer, but, you know, you went off with this dirty girl. I mean, oh, my God. I mean, can you imagine? Like, usually daughters, I can talk about this as a daughter myself. You look up to your father as just the man of your world when you're a kid. Like, he is the main man in your world. He is just most girls look up to their fathers as just, you know, I don't know that you're a daddy's girl. And now that's been shattered forever. That is gone. And these girls in those statements let him know that. So it was interesting to me, though, after the victim impact statements were read and after and when Judge Pratt began addressing Caleb Flynn, the tears seem to go away quite quickly. I don't know if you noticed that, Chris, but they seem to dry up rather quickly. So there seems to be a turning on and off of the tears. One thing I do want to point out to you is that Caleb Flynn is a very good singer. He's a very good singer. He's a very good Flynn's father, Mike, who's been very stoic throughout this whole process and was very stoic throughout the entire trial, he started crying. He started crying as Caleb Flynn was speaking. And his mother, Kim, sitting next to Mike Flynn, you know, was crying as well. Not as visibly, but Mike Flynn was moved to tears today. And we had not seen that before. No. And there was like just kind of what we were able to see on the live stream. Like there was a contrast where you did see Mike Flynn and he was in tears. And again, I mean, he was incredibly stoic, stood by his son, behind his son, you know, the entire, sat behind him the entire trial. But then it was like you would contrast Mike Flynn's emotion and then you'd look at other people who were in the gallery and it just didn't seem like there was, you know, that same level of sympathetic emotion toward Caleb Flynn the way obviously his own family did. One thing I wanted to ask you about, Anjanette, because we got this memorandum beforehand, which is, you know, what the prosecutors presented to the court when asking for Caleb Flynn to receive the maximum sentence. And it was related to Caleb Flynn's daughters. And they say that he tried to coach them. And you remember during the trial, there was that moment where there was Jill Smith was on the stand talking about this walk that Caleb took with the girls, Caleb took with the girls like around a lake. And I don't know if this is specifically where it happens, but it wasn't evidence presented at court, but they brought it forward today. What did you make of that? Well, you know, a lot of people are going to think that's very controversial. At sentencing, uncharged conduct can be considered by the judge. But that did not come in as evidence at trial, as you mentioned. During jury selection for this trial, there was no mention of the witness intimidation charges. So maybe that should have been a signal to us that that part of the case was not going to move forward, or maybe they were hesitant to call the girls. So, you know, I thought it was very interesting that was brought up. I kind of thought we might hear something about that. We asked Patrick Mulligan, Caleb Flynn's attorney, about those statements being brought up in the sentencing memo and in court today. Pat Mulligan says that that was not on the forensic interviews, that that is not on the recordings that they have. So does that mean that it's it came out in another way? Did another family member report that to law enforcement? Was it discussed as the prosecutor was potentially prepping these witnesses to testify the young girls? But we did hear that testimony about the walk around the pond and how the girls had not been interviewed by law enforcement or forensic interviewers just yet, and how the girls came back and they were very on edge. They were kind of scared. They were anxious. And so to read that today, I don't think it was surprising, given the fact that we had those charges at one point in time, but very startling. And Pat Mulligan says he doesn't have anything on any recording that shows that. And we asked him about that just a short time ago. So it's very interesting because we did at least hear an inference about possible witness intimidation at trial. We just didn't hear evidence of it. And anything else from Patrick Mulligan? I mean, you think of the defense that he put up for, you know, since February. I mean, he's been there, you know, people pay attention to the trial, certainly, that we watched. But, you know, there had been hearings involving Caleb Flynn forever, and he had been with him and defended him from the moment he was arrested. And then now, you know, here comes, you know, this trial to an end. Caleb Flynn gets the maximum. What else stood out to you about what he had to say after all of this? Well, he said that basically that Caleb Flynn will be appealing. A fresh set of eyes will be looking at this case on appeal. It won't be him or his team looking at this on appeal. He said that Caleb Flynn will qualify for a public defender to handle the appeal. So we need to look for that. Either the Ohio Public Defender's Office will appoint somebody or there may be a conflict and they may end up appointing counsel to represent him on appeal. He also said that, you know, the fact that Caleb Flynn was sentenced to consecutive sentences instead of concurrent sentences, that that could be an issue on appeal. So I think that it will be interesting to see what an appellate attorney looks at from the trial record, because that's what they have to rely on and what they turn up with their, you know, investigators. A lot of times they have an investigator assisting. If there's something they turn up that they think is going to get him a new trial, because that's all he can hope for at this point in time, something comes up where he gets a new trial. You know, the charges, I don't believe, will ever go away or be dropped, even if his conviction is vacated. And vacating a conviction is very difficult. As we've seen in many cases, it's not impossible, but it can happen. So the prosecution seems certain in this case that they have their man. And you can bet that they'll fight any appeal that Caleb Flynn files. Yeah, and we'll see what, see what happens down the road. But, you know, you hope for the family of Ashley Flynn, some sense of closure today. Very emotional day in the courtroom. Anjanette Levy, host of Crime Fix here on Law & Crime. Great job covering this trial. No, it is not easy. Always appreciate you coming on here, Anjanette. Thanks. That will do it for On the Case, presented by Law & Crime. I'm Chris Stewart. We'll see you next time.