“I just want to take care of my daughters. I’m not a risk,” he told Judge Samuel Huffman before the judge set his bond at $2 million. Flynn is next due in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing.
His wife, 37-year-old Ashley Flynn, was found shot to death after crews were called around 2:30 a.m. Monday on a report of a burglary in progress to the couple’s house in the 900 block of Cunningham Court, where police said there were signs of forced entry. She had been shot two times and was pronounced deceased at the scene, Tipp City Police Chief Greg Adkins said.
The chief announced Caleb Flynn’s arrest the same day the couple’s church, the Christian Life Center, announced a celebration of life for Ashley Flynn is at 4 p.m. Sunday at the church, 3489 Little York Road in Butler Twp.
“The family and community deserve a thorough, professional and compassionate investigation into this very sensitive matter,” Adkins said in a statement released Thursday evening. “As a result of the investigation, probable cause existed to charge Caleb Flynn with the murder of his wife. Due to the ongoing nature of this case, specific investigative details will not be released at this time.”
He was booked into the jail shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday, records show.
“It’s disturbing the speed at which this occurred,” said defense attorney L. Patrick Mulligan of Dayton law firm Moermond & Mulligan, who is representing Caleb Flynn. “I question the thoroughness” of the investigation.
The Tipp City Police Department called the homicide investigation a “complex case” and in several statements released over the week assured there would be “the most thorough investigation possible.”
The department was the lead agency and received assistance from the FBI, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Miami County Sheriff’s Office and Miami County Prosecutor’s Office.
Mulligan also called his client’s $2 million bond “unnecessarily high” and said he plans to seek a bond reduction.
“It denies him the opportunity to be at the funeral for his wife, which is an unspeakable tragedy,” he said, and also is a disruption to the grieving process.
There is a ground swelling of support in the community for Caleb Flynn, Mulligan said, including from his wife’s family, where he had been staying along with the couple’s two elementary-age daughters and two pet dogs since the shooting.
Credit: Source: Miami County Communications Center
The criminal complaint filed Friday morning indicated Ashley Flynn was shot with a 9mm handgun, and that officers were led astray “by the staging of the crime scene.”
Caleb Flynn called 911 to report a burglary and said his wife was shot in the head and unresponsive. He also told dispatchers that he was not sure whether an intruder was still in the house, according to an affidavit.
When police arrived, the side door to the garage on the north side of the house was open and Ashley Flynn was found in bed in the master bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head. Two gun shell casings were found on the floor near the foot of the bed, the court document read.
Inside the garage, the center console to a 2024 Ford pickup truck was open. This is where Caleb Flynn told police he kept his handgun. Also, police reported that the side door to the garage had a large refrigerator in front of it “that would’ve had to be pushed to open the door,” the affidavit stated.
Credit: Miami County Jail
Credit: Miami County Jail
Caleb Flynn, the couple’s two daughters and two Goldendoodles also were home at the time of the shooting.
“The two children in the home had not woke up and was still in their bedroom throughout this incident,” the court record said.
Tipp City police contacted the BCI and representatives from the Miami County Victim Witness Program also responded to the Flynn residence.
Once Ashley Flynn’s mother arrived to take the girls, Caleb Flynn agreed to speak voluntarily with detectives and was taken to the Tipp City police station around 4:30 a.m. Monday, the affidavit read. There were no further documents filed on what he told police during questioning, nor how long it lasted.
The deadly shooting sent shockwaves through the tight-knit Tipp City community and spread safety concerns.
Tipp City police on Wednesday night released a statement that there is no information indicating the community is in danger.
“Investigators believe this was an isolated incident targeted at this specific residence,” the statement read.
Cunningham Court residents described the Flynn family as wonderful, active neighbors who have lived on the cul-de-sac for about four or five years.
Ashley Flynn was a graduate of Tippecanoe High School and Lee University, a private Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. She coached girls volleyball at Tippecanoe Middle School and was a substitute teacher for Tipp City Schools, where she formerly was an elementary school teacher. For the past year she also taught at LifeWise Academy, a nonprofit that provides weekly Bible-based lessons to public school students off campus.
The Flynns previously were staff members of the Christian Life Center, where Caleb Flynn served as a music pastor and worship leader.
The Rev. Jordan Hansen, lead pastor of the church, released a statement Friday morning on social media addressed to the church family.
“Hearts remain heavy as we continue to grieve the tragic loss of Ashley Flynn. Ashley was a devoted wife, loving mother and faithful member of Christian Life Center. Her life deeply impacted thousands. We want justice for Ashley.
“This week, we received news that Caleb Flynn has been arrested and charged in connection with her death. This brings understandable shock and sorrow,” he posted to the church’s Facebook page.
The responsibility to investigate and judge is the role of the legal system, Hansen said, and the church’s role “is not to speculate, but to love, to mourn, and to keep eyes fixed on Jesus.”
“Two young daughters have lost their mother. A family is devastated. Now is the time to pray, to guard against gossip/speculation. Let us be a church marked by prayer, wisdom, restraint and love,” he said.
Originally from Braham, Minnesota, Caleb Flynn also is a Lee University graduate.
He appeared as an “American Idol” contestant for the 12th season of the reality TV singing competition in 2013. During an interview, he shared: “I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty. I love her.”
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
According to his LinkedIn profile, he is a vice president of sales at Richard D. Smith & Sons Inc., a family-run single source supplier for commercial flooring and worship seats, according to the business website.
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