The daughters of former "American Idol" contestant Caleb Flynn have spoken out against their father, with one vowing never to visit him in prison, as he was sentenced to life without parole for the murder of their mother. Flynn, 40, was found guilty of fatally shooting his wife, Ashley, and staging the scene to appear as an intruder's crime.
During the sentencing hearing, blistering statements from the couple's daughters, Ava and Alyssa, were read in court. Ava, 10, described her mother as "the perfect person" and questioned her father's actions. "What did she ever do to make you hate her so much?" Ava's statement, read by her uncle Matthew Keyt, asked. "She was my best friend and then you chose to kill the only mother I ever had."
Ava also confronted her father about his affair with Aleigha Botner, an intern at the church where Flynn served as a music pastor. "How could you cheat on her and go to that awful girl Aleigha? I never liked her," Ava stated, adding that Flynn and Botner "sinned big time." Flynn's other daughter, Alyssa, 12, said in her statement, read by her grandmother, that her father "can't love anyone but yourself." Alyssa added, "You have already caused so much pain to your family and the world. The least you could do is tell everyone that you did it." She concluded her statement by saying, "By the way, I don’t plan on coming to see you."
The girls, who were 9 and 11 when their mother was killed on February 16, are now being cared for by Ashley's sister and brother-in-law, Kayla and Matthew Keyt. The Keyts shared with the court how the children are struggling with their mother's death and their father's actions. Kayla recounted one of her nieces sobbing and asking, "Why should I even believe in Jesus if he allowed this to happen to us." Matthew described how the sisters visit their mother's grave daily, lying on the grass and talking to her.
Prosecutors argued that Flynn murdered Ashley, 37, to start a new life with Botner, who is now 24. Botner testified against Flynn at trial, admitting that she had exchanged text messages with him about wanting to kill Ashley, a sentiment Flynn had agreed with in their communications.
Before his sentencing, Flynn sobbed and read a statement lamenting his inability to raise his daughters and apologizing for breaking his wedding vows. However, he maintained his innocence regarding the murder of his wife. Judge Jeannine Pratt sentenced Flynn to life in prison without the possibility of parole.