'American Idol' alum's mistress says Caleb Flynn discussed killing wife

Key Points:

• Caleb Flynn, a former "American Idol" contestant, is on trial in Ohio for the murder of his wife Ashley Flynn, with his mistress Alleigha Botner testifying that he repeatedly expressed desires to kill Ashley in disturbing messages and conversations.
• Botner described escalating threats from Flynn about wanting his wife dead, including statements like "If I could kill her and not go to jail, I would," and testified that Flynn showed her a gun he kept in his truck before the killing.
• Prosecutors presented thousands of messages between Flynn and Botner, including one from February 2025 where Flynn wrote, "I need her to die," and revealed that the couple routinely deleted messages, with Botner assisting Flynn in deleting data to hide their affair.
• Botner testified that Flynn promised to leave Ashley by a set deadline in January 2025 but did not, and that on the day before Ashley was killed, Flynn told her he was filing for divorce and was "about to be free," statements she now believes were ominous.
• Botner admitted initially lying to the FBI about her relationship with Flynn due to fear of reputational damage but now openly expresses hatred toward Flynn, stating she believes he murdered his wife; she is expected to continue testifying.