Caleb Flynn's glamorous 24-year-old mistress took the stand at his wife's murder trial on Tuesday afternoon.

By KATRINA SCHOLLENBERGER, US HEAD OF LIVE NEWS and RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and NATASHA ANDERSON IN TROY, OHIO
Updated: 21:51 BST, 23 September 2026
Caleb Flynn's glamorous 24-year-old mistress expressed several shocking revelations in the former American Idol contestant's murder trial on Wednesday afternoon.
Alleigha Botner had a 'yearslong' affair with Flynn, whom she met at Christian Life Center in Dayton, Ohio, in 2022. The pair exchanged hundreds of thousands of text messages in their covert tryst in the years leading up to his wife Ashley's death.
Ashley , 37, was tragically shot twice in the head while she slept in her family home in February 2026. Prosecutors allege that the former American Idol star staged the scene as a burglary to maintain his lifestyle, career, and a secret affair with church intern Botner.
During her internship, Botner said she learned 'how to be the best worship leader I could be,' from the American Idol contestant. As the pair's relationship became romantic in 2024, she revealed how Flynn would express that he 'hated' his wife and 'couldn't stand' his wife's family.
Botner revealed that she and Flynn would call his wife 'spawn of satan, b**** and douchebag' as they discussed his relationship. The pair would regularly meet for sex in his truck at a Chipotle parking lot, and even got matching tattoos.
Flynn, 40, has pleaded not guilty on all charges against him, maintaining that a home intruder killed his wife while he slept with the pair's two pre-teen daughters in a room just feet away.
Alleigha Botner, 24, told the court that she justified the infidelity because Caleb alleged that Ashley cheated on him two years prior.
She said that after her breakup in 2024, Caleb began to show interest in her.
'Caleb expressed that he had feelings for me, and he said that the reason why he thinks it's okay to have those feelings is because his wife cheated on him two years before 2024,' Botner said.
'He told me that he only sees her as a roommate.'
The mistress continued: 'He told me that he hates her. He told me that the only reason why he is still with her is because of the girls.'
Botner said Caleb did not offer any proof of Ashley's alleged affair.
'He didn't show me any proof, but he said that his neighbor witnessed her cheating,' she said.
Caleb Flynn's mistress recounted the shocking details of their affair as she testified against him Wednesday.
Alleigha Botner, 24, took the stand and revealed several details about their affair.

The judge dismissed court for the day. The trial will resume again at 8.30am on Thursday morning.
The court saw several videos that Caleb Flynn sent Alleigha on GroupMe.
'If anyone is listening, I love Alleigha Botner,' he shouted in his empty family house in the first video.
In another video recorded on a different evening, he filmed his empty garage and was heard saying 'see? Douche is not here,' before addressing his two children and telling them he loved them.
Ashley Flynn's parents, Todd and Jill Smith, sat in the courtroom as Caleb Flynn's mistress testified about their affair.
Alleigha Botner, 24, told the court that Caleb hated his wife and her family.
Alleigha testified that Caleb texted her things like: ‘Why couldn’t it have been you? Why can’t I have married and have kids with you?’ around February 2025.
She said she texted back ‘I have the same gut wrenching thoughts when I see happy couples with kids,’ around the same time.
‘I need her to die, to cheat again, to leave,’ he would say. 'You know I hate talking about her.'
On February 19, he wrote 'marry me,' and 'kill douche. You know I hate douche and want nothing with her.'
In March 2025 he texted her: 'I hate her and I don't want her here,' and 'missing you so much today, douche is pissy like normal. She ruins everything.'
Alleigha testified that she texted Flynn 'Caleb what's going on? Were you involved, is this real?' after learning of Ashley's murder.
He did not respond to the messages.
She said she deleted the message she sent him afterward. She said that 'knowing there was a murder involved' meant the authorities would be searching his phone and would find their texts, and the affair would be uncovered.
On February 15, Flynn confirmed that he would 'protect' Alleigha following the divorce, saying it would be a 'day she would never forget.'
He said that 'actions were coming tomorrow,' which Alleigha determined to mean the divorce.
Their communications ended at 12am on February 16. The last thing Flynn told her was 'good night, tomorrow's a big day. I've got to get to bed. I choose you, I'm about to be free.'
Alleigha woke up at 8am, and expected to hear from Flynn that day.
She received a direct message on Instagram from a 'random congregant' that went to their church that said 'did you hear about Mrs. Flynn?'
She responded 'what are you talking about?' before the unidentified person sent her a news article about Ashley's death.
Alleigha's voice began to break as she recounted receiving the message.
In mid February, Flynn told Alleigha Botner that he was going to divorce wife Ashley.
He walked through the steps of how he had planned to go through the proceedings. He had also planned to tell Ashley's parents, Todd and Jill Smith, as well as his daughters, that he was divorcing her.
The pair got burner phones, as Flynn suggested 'it would be safer after the divorce if Ashley tries to bring up the text messages between us.'
Botner confirmed she had used a burner phone before. Her mother DoorDashed her a phone after she lost her cell phone in the water on a trip to Florida earlier in the year.
Botner testified that on February 15, she sent Flynn ChatGPT screenshots of how to delete text messages from their old devices in fear of Ashley's potential retaliation if she had found out about their affair.
Flynn sent Botner a song that he had written as Botner began to cool off of their relationship in early 2026.
'So here's to the third, and the us that we lost,' references the anniversary of the day the pair began to speak.
'If somewhere you feel this, if somewhere you're whole, know that you still own ever piece of my soul,' the lyrics read.
Botner told the court that she gave Flynn several ultimatums about leaving wife Ashley.
She said 'if you don't leave her by this specific date, then I can't do this anymore. I can't be with a married man anymore.'
Botner confirmed that Flynn never met any of the deadlines, and by January 2026, she was 'done waiting.'
'If he didn't leave her by January 11, I told him would leave him and live a life of purity.'
The pair communicated until February 14, but she chose not to reply to him at least two-three times in the time period.