Flynn defense called no witnesses in murder trial, plans to appeal

Prosecution presented 40 witnesses in nearly two-week Ohio trial

Defense attorney Patrick Mulligan said Tuesday that the defense in the Caleb Flynn murder trial called no witnesses during the nearly two-week Ohio proceeding and that Flynn did not testify, according to the United Press International wire report. Mulligan told reporters outside the courthouse that the defense expects to file a notice of appeal, citing “a lack of evidence on prior calculation and design.”

The trial in Tipp City, Ohio, lasted nearly two weeks, UPI reported. Jurors deliberated fewer than three hours before finding Flynn, 40, guilty of aggravated murder, murder, felony murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence in the Feb. 16 shooting death of his wife, Ashley Flynn, 37, at their home. Flynn, a former American Idol contestant and pastor, shook his head and sobbed as the guilty verdicts came in, CNN reported, per UPI. He faces up to life in prison without parole at sentencing set for Monday.

Flynn called 911 on Feb. 16 and said an intruder had fatally shot his wife, UPI reported. Police arrested him three days later. Flynn pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors argued that Flynn murdered his wife and staged the crime scene to blame an intruder, according to UPI. They pointed to his messages to his 24-year-old mistress, a fellow worship leader at his church, as the motive. During closing arguments, Matt Joseph, a Miami County assistant prosecuting attorney, told jurors that “the evidence does not lead to some unknown intruder who vanished into the night” and “leads straight to the defendant,” UPI reported.

Mulligan countered that prosecutors proved Flynn was having an affair but not that he killed his wife, pointing to the missing murder weapon. “Connecting a couple of meaningless dots doesn’t solve the case,” Mulligan said, ABC News reported, per UPI.

The prosecution called 40 witnesses during the trial. The defense called none, and Flynn did not testify, UPI reported.

After the verdict, Mulligan told reporters that “while we respect the system, certainly we’re disappointed,” ABC News reported, per UPI. He repeated his view that there was “a lack of evidence on prior calculation and design.”

Prosecuting attorney Pau Watkins thanked the jury “for their dedication to justice,” UPI reported. “To be quite honest, I’m tired of talking about Caleb Flynn,” he said. “It’s time for the community, the media and everyone else to turn their focus onto Ashley. This world would be a much better place if all of us in it lived like Ashley.”