‘He wanted her dead’: Caleb Flynn’s former mistress testifies, saying he often said how much he hated his wife
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TROY, Ohio — The details of Caleb Flynn’s extramarital affair were laid bare on Wednesday when the woman he was involved with took the witness stand to testify against him.
Alleigha Botner told the court she and Caleb had been romantically involved since mid-2024. During that time, she claims he told her multiple times how much he hated his wife, Ashley Flynn, and wanted her dead.
Caleb is currently on trial for aggravated murder, accused of fatally shooting Ashley as she slept in the early morning hours of Feb. 16. Prosecutors say he then staged their home in Tipp City, Ohio, to look like an intruder broke in and killed his wife.
Going from ‘professional’ to romantic
Botner told the court she first met Caleb in the summer of 2022, when she was 20 years old and Flynn was 36 or 37. She said she was working as an intern on a worship team at the church the Flynns attended. Caleb volunteered on the same team, she said.
When they first met, Botner testified that she didn’t know that Caleb was married because he never wore his wedding ring. She said their relationship remained professional until March of 2024, after she broke up with another individual on the worship team.
Following the breakup, Botner said Caleb became more friendly and started texting her. In the beginning, she said he would ask for small things, like to come over to her house for a hug. By the end of March, she said Caleb told her he had romantic feelings for her.
By this point, Botner says she knew he was married and “knew it was wrong” to get involved with him. But she said Caleb told her he thought a romantic relationship between the two of them was “OK” because his wife had allegedly cheated on him already.
Botner testified that Caleb described his wife as more of a “roommate” than a significant other and said the only reason he was still married to Ashley was for his children.
The relationship between Botner and Caleb became sexual in May 2024, she said, and lasted for approximately a year and a half.
At first, she and Caleb would see one another approximately once a week, Botner testified. Over time, she said they saw each other less frequently. The pair met in parking lots or at her apartment for sexual interactions, she said.
For dates, she said they would travel to other cities to avoid being recognized. At one point, Botner said she and Caleb got matching Harry Potter tattoos, with Caleb choosing to place his in his armpit to avoid Ashley seeing it.
One time, while driving to Columbus, Botner said Caleb showed her the handgun he kept in the center console of his Ford pickup truck. She did not testify to whether he ever said anything about using it on Ashley.
‘He wanted her dead’
Botner said she and Caleb first communicated primarily through iMessage, but they later switched to WhatsApp because iMessage “seemed too noticeable.”
In total, Botner estimated that she and Caleb had exchanged approximately 107,000 messages over the span of a year. She said Caleb would express a negative opinion of Ashley nearly every day.
“He would say that he hated her, that he wanted her dead. He would say so many awful things, along the lines of hating her and wanting her dead,” Botner testified.
Caleb also told her that his wife “wasn’t worthy” of them using her first name, Botner said, so the two of them would refer to Ashley with various insults.
Dozens of texts between the lovers were read in court on Wednesday. They were all some form of Caleb or Botner saying that they hated Ashley, or Caleb saying he wanted to be rid of his wife.
“He said if he could kill her (Ashley) and not go to jail, he would do it,” Botner testified.
Botner said that Ashley discovered messages between her and Caleb on two separate occasions.
One time, after seeing messages between two while Ashley and Caleb were on a cruise, Botner said Ashley texted her and tried so set up a meeting with her to figure out what was going on. Botner said she avoided such a meeting, and it never happened.
Beginning of the end
In August 2025, Botner said Flynn began talking about leaving Ashley. She said she had also started setting deadlines for Caleb to leave his wife, saying she would end their relationship if he didn’t.
“At the time, I was done being with someone who was married,” Botner testified.
Botner said she told Caleb in January 2026 that it was his last chance to leave his wife. She said he again promised to get a divorce and again failed to follow through.
At that point, Botner said she stopped communicating with Caleb. He responded by writing her a song, the lyrics of which were analyzed in court. They frequently referenced specific details of their relationship, she said.
Botner said in late January, she and her dog took a trip to Florida. She told the court the trip was “a solo, getaway trip” to be alone after her relationship with Caleb ended.
But then she resumed communication with Caleb in mid-February. She testified that she sent numerous screenshots of ChatGPT information regarding how to get a divorce in Ohio.
She said Caleb responded, telling her he planned to initiate a divorce with Ashley on Feb. 16 and was going to be “free” of his wife.
On that morning, Botner said she expected to get news of Caleb and Ashley’s divorce. Instead, she learned that Ashley was dead.
‘I hate him’
When she was interviewed by the FBI on Feb. 20, Botner admitted that she initially lied to the agent. She told the court did so because she was “selfish and afraid that my reputation was going to be ruined.”
Botner said she was also afraid of losing her job, but she ended up telling the truth after the agent confronted her with text messages found on Ashley’s phone.
Botner also testified that while she was romantically involved with Caleb, she thought that he was hacking into her Instagram account. She told the court that she would receive alerts indicating that someone had logged into the account, and that they were always from a Tipp City location. Botner lived in Troy.
She said that during the relationship, it wasn’t uncommon for Caleb to search or “hack” her phone, but she said he always denied it.
“I hate him.” Botner said when asked about Flynn’s feelings at present day. “I believe he murdered his wife.”
Botner is expected to continue her testimony on Thursday morning. The proceedings begin at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and will be livestreamed here on EastIdahoNews.com