Disturbing text messages sent by Caleb Flynn to his mistress took center stage Friday as opening statements began in the Ohio murder trial of the former pastor and “American Idol” contestant accused of killing his wife, Ashley Flynn.

Prosecutors say investigators uncovered more than A HUNDRED THOUSAND messages exchanged between Caleb and his mistress during approximately the year before Ashley’s dєatᩚh.
Some of those messages specifically discussed Caleb wanting his wife dead.

“I was up until 4 a.m. last night crying, literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail,” Caleb wrote in one exchange.

In another message presented by prosecutors, Caleb said that if he could kill Ashley without going to hell, he would do so “in a heartbeat,” adding that the statement showed how “dark” and “hateful” he felt.

But prosecutors highlighted another exchange because of its timing.

On THE NIGHT BEFORE Ashley was killed, Caleb sent his mistress a message telling her:

“I choose you. I’m free.”

He then wrote:

“Actions will come tomorrow, February 16, a day I’ll never forget.”

Ashley was killed on Feb. 16, 2026.

She was shot twice in the back of the head while lying in bed inside the couple’s Tipp City home during the early morning hours.

Caleb called 911 and reported that someone had broken into their home and shot his wife. The couple’s two daughters were also inside the house.

However, investigators say they found no evidence supporting the claim that an intruder entered the home. Prosecutors allege Caleb killed Ashley himself and then staged the scene to make it appear that she had been m𝑢rdєred during a burglary.

The murder weapon has never been recovered. Prosecutors said Caleb was known to keep a 9 mm handgun in the center console of his truck, but investigators allegedly found the compartment open and empty after Ashley’s dєatᩚh.

Caleb has pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence and intimidation of a witness, attorney or victim.

His defense attorneys are not disputing that Caleb had an affair or that he sent cruel messages about his wife.

Instead, they argue that infidelity and hateful words do not make him a murderer.

The jury will now have to determine what those messages mean when considered alongside the physical, digital and witness evidence presented throughout the trial.