‘American Idol’ contestant’s 100K texts with mistress show motive in wife’s murder, prosecutors say

Former "American Idol" contestant Caleb Flynn allegedly told his mistress he was "literally trying to think of ways to kill" his wife without going to jail before prosecutors say he shot her and staged the scene to look like a break-in. The chilling message was among more than 100,000 texts prosecutors say Flynn exchanged with his mistress in the year before his wife, Ashley Flynn, was killed Feb. 16, WHIO in Dayton reported. "I was up until 4 a.m. last night crying, literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail," Flynn allegedly wrote in one of the messages. NEW JERSEY MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING WIFE WITH BARBELL ALLEGEDLY CONFESSED IN MESSAGES TO RELATIVES: REPORT Prosecutors revealed during opening statements Friday that Flynn had been carrying on a year-long affair and argued the messages showed his motive and intent, WHIO reported. Miami County Prosecutor Paul Watkins told jurors the messages, some sent months apart and others just hours before Ashley was killed, showed Flynn repeatedly expressing hatred toward his wife and a desire to be free of her so he could pursue a future with his mistress. MICROSOFT EXEC'S GRIEVING WIDOW FACES MAN ACCUSED OF PLOTTING HIS MURDER AS SHE REVEALS EERIE FINAL CALL Flynn has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges in his wife's death. Fox News legal analyst Josh Ritter said Sunday that one message sent the day before Ashley's killing could be particularly damaging. LUIGI MANGIONE'S LIVESTREAM STUNT AIMS TO GET INFLUENCERS TO 'PRESSURE' JURORS: FORMER PROSECUTOR Flynn allegedly indicated that the following day would be one he would never forget and that he would make his choice for his mistress, Ritter said on "Fox & Friends Sunday." "If we were curious at all about how the prosecution would attempt to prove motive in this case, it became abundantly clear during opening statements," Ritter said. CHARLIE KIRK MURDER CASE AS 'STRAIGHT-FORWARD' AS IT GETS, PROSECUTORS ARGUE AS CASE NEARS TRIAL DECISION Flynn's defense acknowledged the affair during opening statements but argued his conduct as a husband does not establish that he murdered Ashley, WHIO reported. Defense attorney Emily Smith told jurors prosecutors were offering a theory built around circumstantial evidence rather than proof that Flynn killed his wife, arguing Ashley deserved justice based on more than speculation. Testimony Monday shifted to the physical evidence inside the Flynn home, where a veteran crime scene investigator challenged Flynn's claim that an intruder broke in and killed his wife. The investigator testified that damage to the garage door did not look consistent with burglaries he had investigated and appeared to have occurred while the door was open. After spending about 12 hours examining the home, he said he believed Ashley's killing had been staged to look like a burglary. Flynn became emotional as jurors were walked through evidence collected from the home, at one point sitting with tears streaming down his face as the investigator testified. The investigator also testified that authorities were told Flynn kept a loaded handgun in the center console of his Ford F-150. The console was found open, but investigators did not find the gun or ammunition inside. TEACHER FOUND DEAD WITH THROAT SLIT; DETECTIVES SCRUTINIZE HUSBAND’S SHIFTING STORY Prosecutors allege Flynn used a 9mm handgun to kill Ashley inside the couple's Tipp City, Ohio, home and then staged the scene to make it appear an intruder was responsible. Flynn called 911 and claimed someone had broken into the home and shot his wife, audio previously obtained by Fox News Digital shows. FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X "Oh my god, somebody broke into my home, somebody broke into my home and shot my wife," Flynn told the dispatcher. "My wife, she's got two shots to her head, there's blood everywhere. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my God." Jurors on Friday were shown police bodycam footage from inside the Flynn home on the night of the killing as the first officers to arrive testified about their initial investigation, WHIO reported. SUSPECT IN MICROSOFT EXECUTIVE JARED BRIDEGAN'S MURDER CONVICTED IN ROADSIDE AMBUSH The footage showed Flynn telling officers someone had broken into the home and killed his wife. An officer testified that Flynn said he had fallen asleep before waking to sounds of a break-in and gunfire. SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST TRUE CRIME NEWS An FBI agent also testified that investigators canvassed more than 80 homes looking for cameras or other evidence that could support Flynn's claim that an intruder had been in the neighborhood. LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE Flynn was a contestant on "American Idol" and spoke publicly about his love for his wife during a 2013 hometown interview for the show. SEND US A TIP "I absolutely love the Lord. I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty.... I love her," Flynn said at the time. GOT A TIP? Ritter called the alleged messages between Flynn and his mistress "really, really damning evidence." LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST He noted Flynn remains presumed innocent and said the defense appears to be pursuing a theory that investigators rushed to judgment. GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL "But given that abundance of digital evidence, I think they're going to have a really tough time proving, or trying to create any kind of reasonable doubt in this case," Ritter said. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Jurors are expected back in court Monday morning as testimony continues.