Pool Photo via AP

Caleb Flynn murdered his wife, Ashley Flynn, then turned to the two daughters grieving their mother and told them to lie to investigators, prosecutors said.

The girls, who were just 9 and 11 at the time, were allegedly warned that their statements could determine whether their father lived or died.

The disturbing revelation emerged in a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors in Miami County, Ohio, shortly before Flynn was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Monday, October 5, 2026.

Prosecutors say Flynn coached his daughters

According to the memorandum, Flynn instructed both of his daughters to give investigators a false account after their mother’s murder.

During interviews with authorities, the girls said their father told them that their statements were a matter of “life and death for him.”

Prosecutors also said Flynn instructed the children to deny that he had coached them and to keep their conversations secret from other people.

Despite the pressure they were placed under, both girls ultimately told authorities the truth.

Prosecutors argued that Flynn had attempted to use his grieving daughters to support the story he had created to protect himself after killing their mother.

The two girls later testified during their father’s murder trial, along with the woman with whom Flynn had been having an affair.

A jury ultimately convicted Flynn of murdering Ashley.

His daughters confronted him at sentencing

Flynn’s daughters were not physically present in the courtroom when he was sentenced, but their words were read aloud in victim impact statements.

Their statements revealed the devastating effect their mother’s death had on them—and their complicated feelings toward the man responsible.

Flynn’s younger daughter described her mother as having the “voice of an angel.” As her uncle read the statement in court, Flynn became overwhelmed with emotion and began sobbing.

“She was my best friend. And then you chose to kill the only mother I ever had,” she wrote.

She then asked her father a question that captured her anguish:

“What did she ever do to make you hate her so much?”

“Ashley Flynn was the best thing that ever happened to you”

Flynn’s older daughter also addressed him through a statement read by her maternal grandmother.

She questioned whether he had ever considered the pain his actions would cause the two daughters he left behind.

“Did you ever think about how much pain you would bring your own two daughters?” she asked.

She then turned her attention to her mother and her father’s affair, writing: “By the way, Ashley Flynn was the best thing that ever happened to you. You decided to throw it away for a girl who was half your age.”

Her statement began with an expression of love for her father, but quickly became a devastating indictment of his actions.

“I love you deeply with all my heart, and it’s sad that you can’t love anyone but yourself,” she wrote.

She ended with a final message that made clear how deeply the murder had changed their relationship.

“And by the way, I don’t plan on coming to see you.”

Flynn continued to cry as the statements were read in court.

From American Idol to a life sentence

Before his conviction for Ashley’s murder, Flynn had once been publicly known for his musical ambitions.

In 2013, he appeared on season 12 of American Idol, where he survived several rounds of eliminations but ultimately failed to reach the live shows.

Years later, his name would instead become associated with the murder of his wife and the devastating impact it had on their children.

After being convicted by an Ohio jury, Flynn was sentenced on Monday, October 5, to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The sentencing memorandum added another disturbing dimension to the case, detailing prosecutors’ claim that Flynn not only took his wife’s life but also attempted to manipulate the two children left behind into helping him avoid responsibility.

Ultimately, the girls chose to tell investigators the truth—helping authorities establish what had happened to their mother and leading to their father’s conviction.