Midwest
Ex-American Idol contestant charged in wife’s murder previously described as ‘very talented’ church leader
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An Ohio man was described as a “very talented” church leader before being accused of the brutal killing of his wife, according to online records.
Thirty-nine-year-old Caleb Flynn was charged with murder Friday in the death of his wife, Ashley Flynn. Ashley, a mother, teacher and volleyball coach, was shot and killed in her Tipp City, Ohio, home early Monday morning.
Caleb Flynn initially called 911 and told a dispatcher someone broke into his house and killed his wife, according to audio obtained by Fox News Digital.
CHRISTIAN MOTHER, TEACHER’S AUTOPSY CONDUCTED AS POLICE PROBE HOMICIDE IN OHIO HOME INVASION
Caleb Flynn was charged with murder, two counts of felonious assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of tampering with evidence. He was booked into the Miami County Jail at 5:07 p.m. on Thursday, according to inmate records.
He was arraigned on Friday morning and pleaded not guilty. His bond was set at $2 million. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 26 at 1 p.m.
According to court documents, Caleb Flynn allegedly shot and killed his wife with a 9 mm handgun and staged a crime scene, which “led estray” officers.
A Tipp City mother of two was found dead after a reported home invasion. Police used drones and K-9 units to search for a suspect as the community mourns the tragic loss. (Ashley Flynn/Facebook)
“Oh my God, somebody broke into my home. Somebody broke into my home and shot my wife,” Caleb Flynn said when calling 911. “My wife, she’s got two shots to her head. There’s blood everywhere. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.”
“Ashley, Ashley, baby, baby please, oh my god, there’s no — she’s not!” Caleb said.
Caleb Flynn then claimed the door “leading to the garage door” was “wide open” at the time.
In a statement to Fox News, the family of Ashley Flynn said, “Our hearts are shattered.”
“Ashley brought endless light to our world, and we are trying to navigate this immense loss. Our family believes this arrest was made carefully and not without serious consideration. After speaking with both local police and federal authorities, we trust the proper steps were taken, and the process is being handled appropriately,” her family said.
“We kindly ask for privacy as we work through this complex situation. We are clinging to our faith — just as Ashley did each and every day.”
Who is Caleb Flynn?
In 2013, Caleb Flynn was a contestant on “American Idol,” and he discussed his love for his wife during an interview to be on the show.
“I absolutely love the Lord. I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty. … I love her,” Caleb Flynn said. “But, you know, I’m just a normal person who absolutely loves to sing more than anything in the world.”
Caleb Flynn in a 2013 “American Idol” Hometown Interview. Caleb is the husband of Ashley Flynn, who was shot and killed in her Ohio home Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (YouTube/American Idol)
According to Caleb Flynn’s LinkedIn, he was a worship director at Free Chapel Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina, from July 2015 to February 2021.
For about a year in 2021, Caleb Flynn worked at Equis Financial before becoming the vice president of Sales at Richard D. Smith & Sons, which is a family-owned commercial interior supplier.
CHRISTIAN MOTHER, TEACHER FOUND DEAD AS POLICE HUNT HOMICIDE SUSPECT IN OHIO HOME INVASION
Caleb Flynn’s booking photo from Miami County Jail in Dayton, Ohio, on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Miami County Jail)
One person who worked with Caleb Flynn submitted a recommendation on LinkedIn, saying the 39-year-old is a “very talented and passionate worship leader! A bright future awaits this young man.”
Beyond speeding tickets and traffic infractions, Caleb Flynn doesn’t have a criminal history.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Caleb Flynn’s attorney, L. Patrick Mulligan, said prosecutors rushed to accuse his client of murder.
FBI JOINS PROBE IN MURDER OF CHRISTIAN TEACHER SHOT IN OHIO HOME AS ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ HUSBAND, CHILDREN SLEPT
Ashley Flynn, a Tipp City Schools substitute teacher and volleyball coach, was found dead in her Ohio home during the reported burglary. Police launched a homicide investigation into her death. (Tipp City Schools)
“Caleb Flynn entered a plea of not guilty this morning and looks forward to defending this case. We are both disappointed and concerned about the short timeline and seeming rush to judgment in this case,” Mulligan said.
“When the government runs out of leads or can’t develop leads and looks at a surviving spouse in cases such as these, the chance of a wrongful conviction increases.”
According to News Center 7, only Ashley and Caleb Flynn and their two children were inside the home during the incident.
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Ashley and Caleb Flynn in an undated photo with their two children. (GoFundMe)
In an earlier statement to Fox News Digital, Tipp City Chief Greg Adkins said he believed the incident was isolated.
“We believe that this was an isolated incident targeting this specific residence,” Adkins told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “No information at this time to believe the public is in any danger. The investigation will continue until we can provide all the answers to the family and community.”
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
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Detroit Tigers blow lead, lose to Kansas City Royals on walk-off hit.
The Tigers lost, 4-3, to the Royals on Kyle Isbel’s walk-off single in the ninth inning.
Kansas City, Mo. — The losing streak is now five games. The road record is now an MLB-worst 6-16.
The Kansas City Royals prolonged the Tigers’ misery Saturday night with a relatively breezy 5-1 win at Kauffman Stadium.
Oh, and the Tigers might’ve lost another player in the process.
Right fielder Kerry Carpenter left the game in the third inning. He banged his left shoulder running into the side wall chasing Bobby Witt Jr.’s first-inning, two-run, inside-the-park home run.
Witt, a right-handed hitter, sliced a drive inside the bag at first. Carpenter chased it toward the side wall, but the ball caromed past him. Witt never stopped running.
Carpenter stayed in the game and even rolled an infield single in the second inning. But he was replaced by Wenceel Perez when the Royals came to bat in the third inning.
BOX SCORE: Royals 5, Tigers 1
He was being evaluated during the game.
The two-run homer by Witt ended up being more than the Tigers’ sputtering offense could overcome. But, for good measure, Michael Massey added a three-run home run off Ty Madden in the fourth inning.
Madden ended up being one of the few bright spots in the game for the Tigers. He pitched six innings and allowed just one other hit. He set down the last 11 hitters he faced.
He entered in the third inning after opener Burch Smith and lefty Tyler Holton worked one time through the Royals’ batting order.
Holton made a nifty escape in the first inning. With runners at second and third and one out, and two runs already in, Jac Caglianone hit a hard ground ball to second baseman Zach McKinstry, who was playing in on the grass.
McKinstry got the out at first. The runner at second, Carter Jensen, mistakenly broke for third where Vinnie Pasquantino was holding.
Spencer Torkelson threw to shortstop Kevin McGonigle who threw to catcher Jake Rogers once Pasquantino broke for home — your basic 4-3-6-2 double-play.
Not much else went the Tigers’ way.
Royals right-hander Michael Wacha snuffed out the few scoring opportunities the Tigers mustered.
He worked around an error and a McKinstry stolen base in the third innings. He got Jake Rogers to pop to shallow right field with runners at first and third and one out and then got Matt Vierling to ground out with the bases loaded in the fifth.
Wacha allowed two hits in seven innings. The Tigers put 18 balls in play against him with a soft average exit velocity of 84.4 mph.
The Tigers broke through in the eighth against lefty reliever Matt Strahm. And it was left-handed hitters who did the dirty work. Riley Greene, who extended his career-high on-base streak to 20 games, doubled home McGonigle.
This season is a long way from over but Tigers, 18-22, are in serious need a course correction.
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Brewers Flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski Has Historic Night Against Yankees – World Baseball Network
The Milwaukee Brewers shut out the New York Yankees in a 6-0 victory on Friday night, and Jacob Misiorowski was dominated at a historic level.
In the first two innings of Friday night’s game, Misiorowski threw eight of the 10 fastest pitches ever by a starting pitcher. Of those eight, seven are now the fastest pitches ever thrown by a starting pitcher, according to Codify Baseball.
Misiorowski’s velocity has been a major topic of discussion ever since he made his debut last season. He lights up the radar gun early in games, but usually sees his velocity drop as the game goes on. However, in the fifth inning, he was able to throw a 103 mph fastball to Ryan McMahon. He also threw a 102.7 mph fastball to Cody Bellinger in the sixth inning.
Misiorowski leads all of baseball in strikeouts, notching his 70th strikeout of the season in the sixth inning of Friday’s game. Misiorowski has a 2.45 ERA on the season and had 11 strikeouts against the Yankees. The 60 fastest pitches thrown by a starting pitcher this season all belong to the Brewers ace.
It was Misiorowski’s first time facing the Yankees, and it was not just fans who were left in awe. Spencer Jones, the Yankees’ No. 6 prospect, made his MLB debut on Friday night and felt happy to just foul a pitch off against the flamethrowing righty.
“I’ve never seen pitches that hard in my life,” Jones said after the game, per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. “To foul off a couple is pretty great, so I’ll take that for now.”
Misiorowski’s teammate, Sal Frelick, was also in disbelief when Misiorowski kept touching triple digits late in the game.
“I kept looking up at the velo after every pitch as he got deep,” Frelick said per McCalvy. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Misiorowski picked a great night to showcase his best stuff. CC Sabathia was in the house to be inducted into the Brewers Wall of Honor, and he gave Misiorowski a glowing endorsement before the game.
“I love Misiorowski,” said Sabathia, per McCalvy. “I think he’s going to be a great pitcher.
“Honestly, he reminds me of myself as a young pitcher.”
If Misiorowski can become the type of player Sabathia was, he will be breaking records for years to come. He has played his best in big games so far in his career, but he is still only 24 and getting better with every start.
He credited adrenaline to his sustained velocity on Friday, so it makes sense that he has his best stuff in big games.
Photo: Milwaukee Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Doors Open Minneapolis is growing to become one of the more anticipated events of the and this weekend is your chance to get in on the action.
From 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, participants can choose venues they’d like to explore and get a closer look at areas typically closed off to the public.
Details on the event can be found online.
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