Former ‘American Idol’ Contestant Caleb Flynn Accused of Killing Ex-Wife While Kids Slept Nearby

Onetime American Idol hopeful Caleb Flynn, who crowed about his love for his wife during his stint on the singing contest, is accused of killing his spouse in their Ohio residence as their kids slept — and staging the crime scene to look like a home invasion, officials say.

Flynn, 39, pleaded not guilty to multiple felonies, including murder and assault, days after authorities responding to an alleged burglary found the lifeless body of Ashley Flynn, according to The Dayton Daily News.

Emergency dispatch logs indicate a caller claimed someone had broken into a house in Tipp City, just north of Dayton, and shot his wife.

The 37-year-old middle school volleyball coach and substitute teacher was pronounced dead by first responders.

Officials say there were signs of forced entry at the property and that Ashley had taken at least one bullet to the head from a 9mm handgun.

Court documents state investigators suspected a “staging of the crime scene,” according to the outlet. The filing also reveals two middle-school age children in the home had not woken up and were in their bedroom at the time of the deadly incident.

During his 2013 appearance on Idol, former church music pastor Flynn gushed, “I absolutely love the Lord. I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty.”

The suspect was collared on the same day that the couple’s church, the Christian Life Center, announced a scheduled celebration of the slain mom’s life.

Flynn’s bond was set at $2 million. His attorney, Patrick Mulligan, called the amount “unnecessarily high,” per Dayton Daily News, and vowed to fight to get it reduced and griped that the detention denied the widower the opportunity to be at his wife’s funeral.