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

My wife, she's 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. Hi, I'm Karen Slaughter. If you love untangling mysteries and uncovering the truth behind what really happened, I think you'll love The Good Daughter. Now my best-selling novel is finally coming to life, and I got to write every episode. Starring Rose Byrne, Megan Fahey, and Brendan Gleeson. From page to screen, don't miss The Good Daughter, now streaming only on Peacock. I'm here, Charlie, and I'm not going away. 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 they're 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 911 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. So 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, a witness in a criminal case. It has not been disclosed who authorities believe Flynn allegedly intimidated. Now, Anjanette Levy, my colleague, host of Long Crimes Crime Fix, is going to 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 want to remind you this because we have covered this case from the very beginning. We have so much material. So if you want to hear this 911 call, which will be key evidence, as well as the body cam 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 lawandcrimeplus.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. Anjanette Levy, host of Crime Fix here on Law and Crime. You're going to 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 do you hear about just what we can expect about how this trial is going to work? Well, you know, 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, you know, 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, you know, 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 amiss 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 inconsistencies with her. And so, you know, we've got a man who is accused statements that just didn't match up. And there are a lot of odd things having to do with this case. It's 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 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. This isn't the person who would who would do this in the house, especially with their, you know, 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. Now, my bestselling novel is finally coming to life and I got to write every episode. You should have died in them woods. Your father should have been a better shot. Starring Rose Byrne, Megan Fahey and Brendan Gleeson. From page to screen. Don't miss The Good Daughter now streaming only on Peacock. I'm here, Charlie. And I'm not going away. Number one, zero, zero, zero, four. In video, there's a man standing with him in the lobby of the police station. He's like, what evidence? All right. Step forward. Do you want evidence? What's that? Do you have 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. I don't know what to do. And the police are here. I can't breathe. I can't, I can't see. when they ask him like okay where were you in the house when this happened um you don't hear that part and so that's going to be really interesting just over however long this trial goes i know it's been you know rumored to be two weeks could go longer could go shorter but um you know what does he say in that part of the body cam video that that police just found inconsistent um i know you listened to the 9-1-1 call as well like what stood out to you kind of going through that and hearing him make that call that kind of started the investigation into all of this well in all fairness you know a lot of times people jump to conclusions based on 9-1-1 calls so i think that we need to kind of step back and just try to be as objective as possible when listening to this 9-1-1 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 9-1-1 call taker that ashley has been shot twice in the head somebody somebody broke into my home somebody broke into my home and killed my wife are they still in there i don't know i don't know okay what's the address not 932 county ham court kid city ohio please please hurry please what are you seeing my wife she's got two shots to her head how do you know that first of all uh 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, you know, that's going to make a sound. So, 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. Okay. But you're not with them now? No, they're in their room. They're not even awake. Did the neighbors hear any gunshots? I, I, 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, come up that idea, but that's what stands out to me because I'm thinking to myself, if it's 2:00 AM and somebody fires a gun, maybe you don't hear it if it's inside a house. Um, but the kids, I would certainly think if, if a gun was fired would have been awakened by that noise. Well, and you hear the 911 call and Caleb Flynn is hysterical. Um, 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, he's 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 and he says, I don't know, is she breathing at all? But then it's also like, he's talking about someone who has just shot twice in the head. Um, 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. Um, he says, when, when police arrive on scene. I've checked this right here. Nothing else. Okay. Have you checked, have you checked on that? 911. Yes. No one else comes in here. Period. So those are things that are all, you know, you know, kind of filling in the blanks, as you know, in this trial is, 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 police say 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 to, 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, what was it that was going on in the, in the, in the building? And it was, you know, it was just 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 rent, 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 gunshot wound. Okay. Yes. Like a towel, but do not apply direct pressure to it. Just put it on that blood wound. Okay. Now my best-selling novel is finally coming to life and I got to write every episode. From page to screen, don't miss the good daughter now streaming only on Peacock. This holiday, all plans, even unlimited, are just $15 a month. A holiday deal this good obviously deserves an enormously expensive holiday song. Like all I want. F***. Right. Okay, we can afford that. You know what? Forget the music budget. We're going to stick with whatever's in the public domain. Give it a try at mintmobile.com/switch. Upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or $180 for a 12-month plan required. $15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. I need you to just take a deep breath for me, okay? Okay. Okay. Just get that cloth, and I want you to put it on that wound, but don't apply direct pressure to it, okay? They're coming to 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, 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? 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, Angela, one of the other big questions, and there's a ton of Internet rumor about it, but like it. 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? Was Caleb Flynn, you know, potentially involved with somebody at the family's church? And that has been there's been kind of a drumbeat 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 there 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 amiss with the marriage. So it'll be interesting to see what the prosecution presents. But sounds like the prosecution. The prosecution believes it has, you know, 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-knit 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 forward. 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, does Caleb Flynn. I mean, he's the one who apparently witnessed something inside the house that night. But depending on how, you know, testimony goes, like, would he testify in his own defense, which if the story was inconsistent. Yeah. um, you know, certainly would, would be a major risk, you know, from the defense point of view, his attorney said that this was a rush to judgment. Um, police did initially say the working theory was that this was a home invasion that turned deadly. Um, 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 his wife. I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty. If you love untangling mysteries and uncovering the truths behind what really happened, I think you'll love the good daughter. Now my bestselling novel is finally coming to life and I got to write every episode. From page to screen, don't miss it. Miss the good daughter now streaming only on Peacock. The best holiday finds aren't always the ones you went looking for. At Ross, discover unexpected gifts, fashion, decor, and plenty of reasons to keep looking. Ross, expect the unexpected. I love her. 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 of, you know, you know, yeah, he's hysterical, but they're kind of like, all right, just keep an eye on this guy. At some point, we need to talk to him before we tell Mike gets here. Yeah. Because what's the timeline here? Right. How long? I mean, she looks like she's been gone for a while. Really? I mean, from all I could tell. I mean, where's 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 the first suspect. The spouse is always suspect number one. And I think you really have to ask yourself, who else would want to 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? 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 want to 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, like, 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 going to 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 2:30 in the morning that Caleb Flynn makes this phone call. You know, what, you know, evidence is there that there was a vehicle that came from the outside into this neighborhood or maybe even, you know, from one of the homes in this area that would be someone that would want to 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 Flins and whether or not, you know, there's proof that someone came from the outside to do this, where, of course, the prosecutors are going to say that there was no one who ever actually made it into. 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 nation's most heavily traveled, if not the most heavily traveled interstate, is right next to the neighborhood. So, you know, did this, did the, you know, killer, is the defense going to 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. Do you still see anybody in the house? No, the door to the garage was wide open. Please hurry, please. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. If you're, if the prosecution's going, you know, they're saying he's the killer. They're going to 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 interrogations, we're going to have to go back and look at the investigation 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've had a story, you know, right out of the gate. And then suddenly the second and third questions start coming in. 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. The good daughter. From page to screen, don't miss The Good Daughter. Now streaming only on Peacock. We're all here. It's family presents for the ones. I adore something like that. You know, we'll see. You know, it's interesting, too. He'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. That video is not going to. 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, 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. But these kids, I mean, these two girls, they have lost not only their mother in the most horrific way, but also now their 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. A couple other 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. You know, it's expected to be a two week trial. You know, I'm interested to hear what Caleb Flynn 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 the 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? Anjanette 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 & Crime and Court TV on YouTube. Anjanette, 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 & Crime. I'm Chris Stewart. We'll see you next time.