TIPP CITY, OH – A former American Idol contestant has been charged with murder after his wife was fatally shot in their Ohio home in what was initially reported as a home invasion, according to newly released police bodycam footage and court records.
Caleb Flynn, who appeared on the 12th season of American Idol, was arrested within three days of the shooting death of his wife, Ashley Flynn, 37, at their Tipp City residence. Flynn has been charged with murder, two counts of felonious assault and two counts of tampering with evidence, according to online court records reviewed by PEOPLE. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Bodycam footage released Monday by the Tipp City Police Department shows Flynn’s immediate reaction after officers arrived at the scene. The video captures Flynn wailing, hyperventilating, and at one point vomiting while speaking with responding officers.
In the blurred footage recorded inside the residence, Flynn can be heard screaming “oh my god” repeatedly and asking an officer while sobbing, “Is she gone?” The video also shows Flynn calling his mother to report the incident.
“Ashley’s dead,” Flynn repeats several times during the emotional phone call, breaking down and telling his mother, “Mommy, she’s gone.” He continues, “I don’t know what to do,” while panting and crying before ending the call.
Minutes later, Flynn says “I’m gonna be sick” and begins to throw up, according to the bodycam footage. When he later exits the residence to meet a relative arriving at the scene, Flynn stumbles and falls to the ground before getting up to embrace the woman, who is identified in the video as the children’s grandmother.
“The girls don’t know,” Flynn tells the woman, who also breaks down upon hearing the news. The couple’s two daughters were inside the residence at the time of the shooting, according to previously released 911 calls and the bodycam footage.
Flynn initially reported his wife’s death in a frantic 911 call, claiming there had been a break-in at their home. However, investigators arrested him three days later in connection with Ashley’s killing.
A GoFundMe page has been established to assist Ashley Flynn’s two daughters following the tragic incident. The case continues through the court system as Flynn maintains his not guilty plea to all charges.
