The trial of Caleb Flynn, a former "American Idol" contestant and music pastor charged with the murder of his wife, Ashley Flynn, continued this week with the testimony of his alleged mistress, Alleigha Botner. Botner, 24, described an 18-month affair with Flynn, 40, during which they exchanged over 100,000 text messages. Prosecutors allege that Caleb Flynn shot his wife twice in the back of the head while she was asleep and then staged the scene in their Tipp City, Ohio, home to look like a break-in. He reportedly called 911 to claim an intruder was responsible. The gun used in the shooting has not been found. Flynn has denied being present during the murder and is also charged with tampering with evidence and intimidating a witness. He has pleaded not guilty and his defense claims the case has been unfairly influenced by media attention and that police acted too quickly to accuse him. Botner testified that she met Flynn when she was an intern at his church and that they hid their communications from others. She admitted lying to the FBI initially and explained that she lost her phone and work laptop shortly before Ashley Flynn’s death. When asked how she feels about Caleb Flynn today, she said, "I hate him." Botner described how Flynn often made disparaging remarks about his wife. In a text message from August 22, 2025, he wrote that he had been up until 4 a.m. thinking about "ways to kill her and not going to jail." Botner responded by suggesting he get a divorce instead, saying, "I'm not asking that you take her life, obviously, because that's not what you should do." Botner did not speak to the FBI until four days after Ashley Flynn's murder, when law enforcement contacted her after a tip from her aunt. In her first interview, she said she didn't believe Flynn had killed his wife, but later changed her position, stating that her death was "way too much of a coincidence." She also testified that she sometimes questioned whether Flynn truly hated his wife, citing affectionate messages between them. About a year into the affair, she said she fell in love with Flynn and resented his wife for the attention she received, including an argument around Valentine’s Day. Prosecutors played a video in court showing Caleb Flynn recording their home while loudly stating, "I love Alleigha Botner," with their dog in the frame. In a September 30, 2025, text, Flynn told Botner he was willing to sacrifice his "daughters, a quarter-million-dollar salary job, a place to live, possibly a church I serve at, public shame and humiliation, and way more" to be with her. He then asked her to unfollow someone on social media, sarcastically calling it a "big sacrifice." Botner made several demands, including telling Flynn, "Until she's gone, I'm gone." On cross-examination, she clarified that she always meant divorce. The trial will resume on Friday.