New Bombshell Dropped in 'Crying' Pastor's Murder Trial

- My wife, she got two shots to her head. - Caleb Flynn is now on trial. You have heard the 911 call, a husband claiming someone broke into his house and killed his wife. You've seen the emotion in the body cam video and the shock that this husband could be accused of something so horrific. - When you're close to the house, all right. - We want evidence to run a porn research. - We are going to be in-- - Imagine setting your makeup. Then forgetting it's even theirs. Meet new grippy setting mist from Mavily New York. Gel to mist technology locks in your look for up to 24 hours with flexible all-day comfy grip. No tightness, no stickiness, no residue. Just plump, dewy, hydrated skin that still feels like your skin. Try new grippy setting mist from Mavily New York. - Maybe it's Mavily. - In the courtroom for this trial, what we know about the potential motive in this case of a former American idol contestant, pastor, father, and family man, turned alleged killer. We're on the case presented by Law and Crime. I'm Chris Stewart. For as much as we know about the Caleb Flynn case, the truth is there's so much we don't. There are so many blanks in the story, but there are blanks that may soon be filled. Caleb Flynn says he's innocent. His defense says that everyone rushed to judgment and the emotion that we hear in that 9-1-1 call and we see in that body cam video. They say it's the authentic emotion of a man who just lost the love of his life to an intruder with a gun. - Sorry, I don't know much about the situation other than there's sounds like a home invasion and went bad or something like that. - Here's video of Caleb Flynn, handing over his DNA to investigators in February after the death of his wife Ashley. Now Caleb says someone broke into their house in Tip City, Ohio in the middle of the night and shot his wife twice in the head with a gun. Now Ashley, she was someone who's loved by so many people in that quiet Ohio community. She was a volleyball coach, she was a teacher, she was very active in her church. She and Caleb met in college and then moved to Ashley's hometown of Tip City, North of Dayton. They lived on a cul-de-sac with their two daughters. But police say the killer didn't come into the Flynn house. They say the killer was allegedly already there. Caleb is accused of aggravated murder and three counts of murder in the death of Ashley. He's also facing two counts of felonious assault, three counts of tampering with evidence and two counts of intimidation of an attorney victim or witness in a criminal case. It has not been disclosed. Who authorities believe Flynn allegedly intimidated? Now, Angie Netlivi, my colleague, host of Longcrimes Crime Fix is gonna join me here in just a moment to talk about this case because she is going to be in the courtroom for this trial. And before I bring her in, I wanna remind you this because we have covered this case from the very beginning. We have so much material. So if you wanna hear this 911 call, which will be key evidence as well as the Bodycam video that's been released, go over to the Caleb Flynn case file on Law and Crime Plus. And write this down, promo code OTCFall. That will get you 50% off three months at longcrimeplus.com. All right, let's dive into what we can expect from what is going to be one of the most anticipated trials I think of the year. Angie Netlivi, host of Crime Fix here on Longcrime, you're gonna be in the courtroom for the trial of Caleb Flynn. I mean, this is one we've covered from the very beginning. And now here we are, the day we're recording this jury selection underway. What are you hearing about just what we can expect of how this trial is going to work? - Well, Chris, thank you for having me. Yes, I will be in the courtroom and we will be talking each day about this case and what's been going on in court and we'll also be talking about it over on court TV. So I will be up there. Basically, this is going to be like any other trial. However, this is an incredibly sad case. All of these cases are sad. But this is a case about, as you know, Caleb Flynn, a guy who was on American Idol once, talking about how his wife was so supportive. He loved her. Ashley, he and Ashley have two children. And to everybody from the outside looking in, everything seemed fine. Nobody thought anything was a mess in this marriage. And so, you know, we've got a man who is accused of murdering his wife. And the prosecutors say basically that he made inconsistent statements that just didn't match up. And there are a lot of odd things having to do with this case as a strange case. I think the defense, you know, I think that we're going to hear a lot from the defense about how basically the state can't prove that Caleb did this, that this was potentially just a massive rush to judgment. Tip City, that's not a big place, Chris. This is not a police department that probably deals with a lot of homicides. So you may see the police put on trial here a little bit. - Yeah, and there's several members of law enforcement who are on the witness list for this trial. And I mean, I just remember back to when this happened. And it was, you know, Ashley Flynn, she was a substitute teacher. She coached middle school volleyball, both of them very active in their church. And when it happened, police initially said, like the working theory, the day after it happened, which was February 16th was like they were working on this like violent home invasion that turned deadly. And, you know, there were a few people like you would see comments online of, you know, because in true crime, I mean, it's like, oh, the husband did it. You know, like people have shirts that say that, you know, when they follow this. And like that's often where investigations turn. But like people said from the beginning, it was like Caleb Flynn couldn't do this. Like this isn't the person who would, who would do this in the house, especially with their, you know, 10 and 11 year old daughters, like sleeping close by. And it was just such a shock, you know, a couple of days later, it was February 19th that Caleb Flynn is under arrest. And when you watch the body. Imagine setting your makeup. Meet new grippy setting mist from Maybelline, New York. Gel to mist technology locks in your look for up to 24 hours with flexible all day comfy grip. Just plump, dewy, hydrated skin. That still feels like your skin. Try new grippy setting mist from Maybelline, New York. Maybe it's Maybelline. Anybody, oh, there's a man standing with him in the lobby of the police station. He's like, what evidence? Close to this, all right. Step forward. What evidence? What's that? Turn around. That just like that moment to me is like, people in this community like did not see this coming that he would be charged with this. And now the question is like, what do police have on Caleb Flynn? Because you watch the body cam and you listen to the 911 call and like there's certainly parts of it that are suspicious but the parts that are redacted. I don't know. I don't know. It's not a bullet to do. I don't know for you. I don't know what to do. The police are here. What's up? You all right? I'm going to go ahead. I'm going to put a bullet on. God, that's right. I can't breathe. I can't see. I'm not going to do that. But what does he say in that part of the body cam video that police just found inconsistent? I know you listen to the 911 call as well. What stood out to you going through that and hearing him make that call that started the investigation in all of this? Well, in all fairness, a lot of times people jump to conclusions based on 911 calls. So I think that we need to step back and just try to be as objective as possible when listening to this 911 call after we've been told that he's being charged with this crime. And so what stood out to me, though, is the fact that he tells the 911 call taker that Ashley has been shot twice in the head. Somebody, somebody broken in my home. Somebody broke in my home. He got my life. Are they still in there? I don't know. I don't know. OK, what's the address? Not 9/32 County. In court, get to your house. Please, please, please, please, please, please. What are you seeing? My wife is-- she got two shots to her head. How do you know that? First of all, that's what stands out to me. Second of all, what also stands out to me is the fact that if Ashley was shot twice in the head, that's going to make a sound. So did this killer have a silencer? I mean, the girls, the daughters, are asleep in the house. So how on earth was Ashley Flynn shot twice in the head, and yet nobody else in the house wakes up? My daughters are in their room. So you're not. You are not with the children. I was with the children when it happened. OK, but you're not with them now. [BLANK_AUDIO] in their room and they're not even awake. - Did the neighbors hear any gunshots? I'm thinking no, or else maybe a neighbor would have called 911 and said, "Oh my God, I just heard gunshots." So these are all things that stand out to me when listening to the 911 call. Of course, the silencer doesn't come up that idea, but that's what stands out to me because I'm thinking to myself, if it's 2 a.m. and somebody fires a gun, maybe you don't hear it if it's inside a house. But the kids, I would certainly think if a gun was fired would have been awakened by that noise. - Well, and you hear the 911 call and Caleb Flynn is hysterical. This dispatcher, I think, just he's trying to figure out exactly what's going on and he, it's almost frustrating to listen to 'cause he keeps asking the same question over and over and over again, but you do end up getting more information from Caleb's side of the story because of that. And there's another interesting part where he asked if Ashley Flynn's breathing, he says, "I don't know." - What do I mean? - Is she breathing at all? - I don't think so, I just wish I could do it. - Okay, okay. - But then it's also like he's talking about someone who was just shot twice in the head. And then, you know, the girls are still asleep when he makes the phone call, which goes on for several minutes and they're still sleeping. He says when police arrive on scene. (audience cheering) - Okay, I checked this right here, nothing else here. - Okay. - Are you in the bedroom over there? You're still asleep? - Okay, have you checked, have you checked on that? - The, the, the, the, the 911. - Yes. - Yeah, so right now, no one else comes in here. - So those are things that are all, you know, kind of filling in the blanks is, you know, in this trial is what's, you know, expected to happen. You know, he claims that, you know, he keeps a gun in his truck and the glove box was open. You have a door that Bruce A. was open, but then there's something about, you know, as the investigation went on, there's like a fridge blocking it. It doesn't seem to make sense. Initially, police had said there were signs of forced entry. So I'm just, it's going, you know, once these members of law enforcement get on the stand, whoever the lead detective is out of tip city and they kind of lay out this investigation, you know, where was it in the pieces that Caleb Flynn laid out to them, like the holes that they, that made them believe that he wasn't just suspicious, that they believe he allegedly, you know, did something just so horrible. I mean, it's just, it's hard to fathom. - It is hard to fathom. And also, you know, we're talking about him, talking about his wife being shot twice in the head. First of all, how did you know that? - Yeah. - How would you even see that? And did you try to render aid? It doesn't sound like he was trying to render any type of aid to his wife on that call, any serious type of aid. - If you are comfortable, I want you to go and find the cloth, then I want you to put a cloth on that gun shot wound, okay? Like a towel? - Yes, like a towel, but do not apply direct pressure to it. Just put it on that wood wound, okay? - Okay, you know what I mean. - Imagine setting your makeup, then forgetting it's even theirs. Gel to mist technology locks in your look for up to 24 hours, with flexible all-day comfy grip. Just clump, dewy, hydrated skin. - Maybe it's Mavily! - Oh my God, I need to just take a deep breath for me, okay? Just get that cloth and I want you to put it on that wound, but don't apply direct pressure to it, okay? - Yeah, come with you as quick as they can, okay? - I just laid it on her head. You know, maybe you're in shock. So let's try not to judge him too much. And maybe you're like, I'm just a guy. I'm calling 911. But it doesn't seem like, you know, I'm thinking to myself, if I saw my husband shot in the head in the bed, I don't know how I would react. I would of course call 911, but like wouldn't I be trying to like, console him or do something? And it doesn't sound like anything like that was happening. And I find that to be very suspect. Also, you know, Chris, what I'm thinking about as we're sitting here, you know, digital evidence these days. - Yeah. - You know, your cell phone is like a human tracking device. So are we going to hear about Caleb Flynn's cell phone in this trial? Are we going to hear about what his cell phone was doing in the hour or hours leading up to this 911 call? I'm wondering if we're going to hear about that because in so many cases these days, we hear about cell phone evidence and how many steps maybe somebody took or what the phone was doing or, you know, the activity that was going on. Also, I think, you know, in this trial, we will likely, the first witness, once the jury is seated and we hear opening statements, the first witness likely will be somebody from that 911 call center. And they may just play that 911 call right off the bat, oftentimes that happens in trials that they start off with the 911 call. And that will be a powerful piece of evidence because that will put Caleb Flynn's story according to the prosecution that his first accounting of what happened that night, fresh in the jury's mind and they will hear it right from Caleb Flynn from the start. So that very well may be how this trial starts. - You know, Angie, one of the other big questions and there's a ton of internet rumor about it, but like it hasn't been disclosed by law enforcement. You know, do we have any idea what a potential motive would be in this case? - You know, Chris, prosecutors, of course, don't have to prove motive, but juries want to hear it. And from the very beginning of this case, there were a lot of rumblings, there was a lot of chatter out there about was there something going on beneath the surface? Was Caleb Flynn potentially involved with somebody at the family's church? And that has been, there's been kind of a drum beat about that from the very beginning of this case. Nobody will confirm that directly, but that has been something that's been out there. And so there's been this rumor that, and I hate to say rumor, but there has been a lot of chatter and I'm not just talking about internet chatter, I'm talking about talk among people in Ohio that Caleb was having potentially a relationship with somebody at the church and that he was very religious, the family was religious and that they didn't believe in divorce and that this may have been his way out. Now have prosecutors and police confirmed that? They have not, but are we going to hear that in opening statements? We are going to wait and see whether or not that actually comes out and whether or not that's a bombshell that the prosecution unveils. I know that the family of Ashley Flynn has been very, very private. You know, they're focused on raising the children, the two girls and they didn't suspect anything. I know that. They didn't suspect anything was in mess with the marriage. So it'll be interesting to see what the prosecution presents, but it sounds like the prosecution believes it has a mountain of evidence against Caleb Flynn. Yeah, and you think too. I mean, there are members of this church we'll just say who are potential witnesses for this case who are on the witness list and anybody who goes to church like knows that it's a close to the community and the Flynn's were very much involved in the church and it seems like in every aspect of their lives and, you know, what do they know about the relationship? And to your point, motive, you don't have to have it, but if prosecutors are able to come out and lay out something like that from the very beginning, I mean, the way a juror would look at Caleb Flynn and even the stories about how great a guy his attorney may say that he is, you know, if there is proof of something like that, I mean, that makes the case very difficult for the defense and Caleb Flynn going for. No doubt. No doubt, it will definitely complicate this case. Well, and we have a long way to go, but like I'm already thinking like this Caleb Flynn, I mean, he's the one who apparently witness something inside the house that night, you know, and depending on how, you know, testimony goes, like would he testify in his own defense, which if the story was inconsistent, you know, certainly would be a major risk. You know, from the defense point of view, his attorney said that this was a rush to judgment. Police did initially say the working theory was that this was a home invasion that turned deadly. I'm interested to think like, what will their story be? Like the story that they tell of Caleb Flynn. I mean, he was on American Idol, you know, made it to the next round, talked in a segment about how much he loved his wife. I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty. Imagine setting your makeup than forgetting it's even theirs. Meet new groupie setting mist from Mabelie, New York. Delta mist technology locks in your look for up to 24 hours, with flexible all day comfy grip. Try new groupie setting mist from Mabelie, New York. Maybe it's Mabelie. I love her. You know, how does his attorney actually attack the prosecution's theory that Caleb Flynn is the one who did it? And, you know, because we've seen that defense before, You know, that's like a pretty common defense. is like, well, you guys initially just zeroed in on my client. And when you watch the body cam video, there are those moments that these police officers kind of like whisper to one another, you know, you know, yeah, he's hysterical, but they're kind of like, all right, just keep an eye on this guy. - Some point when you talk to him, the boy told me it gets here. - Yeah. - 'Cause what's timeline here? - Right along, how long? - I mean, she looks like she's been home for a while. - Really? - I mean, from what I could tell, I mean, where is he at? - You know, and it's like, I wonder if the defense takes some of those moments and says, hey, this proves that within the first couple minutes of police being in my client's house, they were already looking at him as a suspect as opposed to what they should have been doing, which is searching the area far around the neighborhood. - And I think you're right about that. We very well may hear that from the defense, that look at them, they made up their minds from the first moment, the moments they were there. And I can see that, but the husband is always, you know, the first suspect. - It's also always suspect number one. And I think you really have to ask yourself, who else would wanna hurt Ashley Flynn? What else could have been going on? I mean, it's not the defense's job to solve this case, of course. It's the defense's job to ensure that the rights of the accused are upheld, you know? And they don't have to do anything. But I would assume that this defense attorney is going to, you know, vigorously cross examine witnesses, but also this jury is going to want to know, well, who in the world, who else would wanna hurt Ashley Flynn? Who else would come into this house in the middle of the night with a gun or possibly get the gun out of Caleb Flynn's truck and know that the gun was there, some random guy or gal, and shoot Ashley Flynn in the head as she slept in her bed. Who else would want to do that? Who else would have the motive to do that? And so I think that's going to be a question the jury would want answered. - Yeah, and I'm gonna just share a map here. This is of just using Google Maps. This is just a look at the Flynn neighborhood, this cul-de-sac that they lived on. If you can see the cursor, this is the Flynn house right here. And I also think a big part of this is going to be, like what do ring doorbell cameras in this neighborhood show? Like are there vehicles that were going in and out? This is around 230 in the morning that Caleb Flynn makes this phone call. You know, what evidence is there that there was a vehicle that came from the outside into this neighborhood or maybe even from one of the homes in this area, that would be someone that would wanna hurt Ashley Flynn. And then of course you have this field right behind here. Some of the entrances into the neighborhood. You see like this road that comes on the side. And then from here, you know, there's this 75 here, the highway, and then eventually you can make your way into this neighborhood that was in. But it's like what was done by police, and I'm sure they're prepared to lay this out and like kind of showing the neighborhood of the Flynn's and whether or not, you know, there's proof that someone came from the outside to do this, or of course the prosecutors are gonna say that there was no one who ever actually made it into the house of Caleb and Ashley Flynn. - Yeah, I think that they're going to be expected to do that. And let's hope that they did that, that they canvassed the entire neighborhood and looked for ring doorbell cameras and things of that nature. Also, you know, I saw when you brought the map up that I-75, one of the nations most heavily traveled, if not the most heavily traveled interstate, is right next to the neighborhood. So, you know, that the killer, is the defense gonna say the killer had an easy way to get out of there, I don't know. You know, another thing that stood out to me about that 911 call, Chris, was the fact that Caleb Flynn offered up right away, the fact that the garage side garage door was open. - You're still seeing anybody in the house? - No, the door to the garage is wide open. Please hurry, please. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. If the prosecution's going to, you know, they're saying he's the killer, they're gonna say he had his whole story set up. He staged the scene. He said that the door was open because he's trying to suggest from the get-go that the killer came in through the side garage door and that's how this happened. And then he knows all the details about how she was killed and then they'll put up the medical examiner to say yes, she died from two gunshot wounds to the head. - Well, I think too of, you know, in so many interrogation videos that we'll watch and we watch plenty of them, it's not the first story that a suspect or defendant tells. It's like the second or third story when law enforcement starts peppering you about the specifics of like, okay, how did you know it was the garage? Like, so you, did you hear gunshots? Then what happened next? And then it's, you know, as those layers of questions continue to be asked, you start to see someone's story that may be in the moment. And I'm sure the adrenaline, whatever happened, adrenaline's through the roof for Caleb Flynn. Like, whatever happened, you know, he probably, if he did this, you know, he might have had a story, you know, right out of the gate and then suddenly the second and third questions start coming in. And I mean, it's very difficult, you know, was he thinking about just like even looking at the neighborhood map, you know, allegedly thinking about, you know, what, you know, where someone would come into the house and do this or was it just like the idea of like a, imagine setting your makeup. Just plum, dewy, hydrated skin. Maybe it's Mavily. I'd adore something like that. You know, we'll see, you know, it's, it's interesting too. It's facing a charge of witness intimidation. And like it hasn't really been clear exactly who he would have allegedly intimidated. We know from the witness list that there are juveniles, which are believed to be his two daughters who are expected to testify, audio will only be broadcast of that and recorded of that video is not going to be allowed. They will have to face their dad in court. The state wanted a partition that was put up, the judge denied that motion, you know, and, and, you know, they're 10 and 12 years old. I mean, they're young, young girls, but at the same time, we're not talking about toddlers. I mean, it's going to be, it's going to be a certainly emotional testimony, but I think interesting, like, what do they remember about that day, or even the days leading up to when this allegedly happened? No doubt, and that's going to be heartbreaking. I'll be in the courtroom for that. These kids, I mean, these two girls, they have lost not only their mother in the most horrific way, but also now their father is on trial, accused of murdering their mother. So they've essentially lost both parents. And we don't know how the girls feel about their father at this point in time. We know that they're being raised by family who love them very much, and really the welfare of those two girls is what's most important at this point in time. Yeah, it certainly is. Couple of their motions that were decided this week ahead of trial. Ashley Flynn's dad is going to be the only member of her family, just because I believe several other family members are going to be witnesses or potential witnesses in this case. And so the judge had to make a decision about who would be allowed in the courtroom. We'll see what happens. It's expected to be a two week trial. I'm interested to hear what Caleb Flynn's side of the story is, because I think in a lot of these cases, as much as we love to see the body cam video and the 911 calls for kind of the transparency of an investigation, it certainly paints him in a light. His attorney was upset that that video was released and it brought so much attention to this case. What is Caleb Flynn's side of the story? Anginette Levy, host of Crime Fix. You're going to be in the courtroom for it. You'll be able to watch this trial on court TV as well as streaming live, Law and Crime and court TV on YouTube. Anginette, thanks for joining me to talk about this. And we'll be talking each day as well, kind of wrapping up what's happening in the courtroom. Yeah, no problem. Thanks for having me. That will do it for on the case, presented by Law and Crime. I'm Chris Stewart. We'll see you next time. (upbeat music)