Caleb Flynn’s daughters rip dad as he’s sentenced to life in prison: ‘YOU HAD THE BEST LIFE EVER’
· Toronto Sun
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Former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn was convicted last week of aggravated murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence for killing his wife Ashley earlier this year.
The jury took just two hours to return their guilty verdict following the eight-day trial, and on Monday, Flynn was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Prior to his sentencing, the victim impact statements of Caleb and Ashley’s two daughters, Alyssa, 12, and Ava, 10, were read to the court, which was streamed online by CourtTV .
The girls were not in court for their father’s sentencing, but their presence was felt as their uncle read Ava’s heartbreaking letter aloud.
Asking the tough questions
“Mommy was the perfect person, the absolute perfect person. What did she ever do to make you hate her so much?” Ava wrote.
An already emotional Caleb began to sob as he listened to his daughter’s words, who noted her mom was her “best friend” and she had the “voice of an angel.”
Alyssa’s statement, which was read in court by her maternal grandmother, began: “I love you deeply with all my heart, and it’s sad that you can’t love anyone but yourself.”
She asked: “Did you really even think about how much pain you would bring your own two daughters?”
His eldest daughter added: “Ashley Flynn was the best thing that ever happened to you. You had the best life ever, and you decided to throw it away for a girl who was half your age,” referencing his nearly two-year affair with 24-year-old Alleigha Botner.
Flynn maintains his innocence
Flynn addressed the court, apologizing to his late wife’s family for breaking their wedding vows, and expressed gratitude to his own family for their “unwavering love.”
But he denied killing Ashley, telling prosecutors, “I have unfortunately lied about a lot of things over the last couple of years. But as I stand here before God, who is my ultimate judge, I am not lying. I did not kill my wife.”
Flynn went on to call his daughters the “greatest joy in this life.”
He continued: “I have so many thoughts and dreams of raising you and seeing you grow up to be mighty women of God, but unfortunately, I can’t. That’s why I’m sorry. I want to be there for your most important moments, and for that I’m sorry.”
He added: “There’s so much I wish I could be there for, and so my heart breaks knowing I can’t. But please know again, I dearly love you both and miss you more than you’ll ever know.”
‘Tell Jesus that you’re sorry’
Both girls described the grief and pain they felt after their mother’s death, with the youngest saying she still cries every day.
“My heart aches to see you hurt, but then I think it was your choice,” Ava said in her statement. “It was your choice to leave your only two daughters. It was your choice to hide everything from everyone, and it was your choice to kill the only mother I’ve ever had.”
She added: “Unfortunately, that was a choice that cannot be erased, even though I really wish it could.”
The girls also urged their dad to confess to the murder and repent for his sins.
“Please tell Jesus that you’re sorry,” Ava wrote. “It’s not going to change your punishment, but it will determine your eternal reward someday.”
Done for good
Alyssa added: “I wish that you could come to understand that actions have consequences and you have a lot to pay. The least you could do is tell everyone you did it and receive your outcome.”
She ended her statement with a brutal message to her dad: “Through all of what you put me through, God is gonna work something out for good.”
She concluded: “And by the way, I don’t plan on coming to see you.”
Before handing down the sentence, Judge Jeannine Pratt directly addressed Flynn before handing down the maximum sentence.
“You took from them something they can never get back – their mother,” the judge said. “They will live with the scars of what you did for the rest of their lives.”