Ohio Pastor Told Mistress He Was "Trying to Think of Ways to Kill" His Wife Weeks Before Her Murder, Prosecutors Say at Trial

Ashley Flynn was found shot to death inside her Tipp City, Ohio home in the early hours of Feb. 16. Her husband Caleb Flynn called 911 that night and said an intruder had broken in and killed her. Investigators arrested him days later on accusations that he staged the scene himself.

Seven months on, the case reached trial. During opening statements on Friday, Sept. 18, prosecutors told jurors Caleb had planned to "execute" Ashley and had told another woman about it in writing before he did it, according to messages read aloud in court and streamed online by Court TV.

One exchange, prosecutors said, came the night before the killing. "I was up until 4 a.m. last night crying, literally trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail," Caleb allegedly wrote. "If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat. That is how dark and how hateful I feel."

Hours before Ashley was shot, prosecutors said, he sent the woman another message. "I choose you. I'm free," it read. "Actions will come tomorrow, February 16, a day I'll never forget."

Caleb, 40, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which include murder, aggravated murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence and witness intimidation, according to online court records.

The two sides of the case sit uneasily next to each other. Caleb was a worship pastor at a local church and worked for Ashley's family. He also appeared as a contestant on the 12th season of American Idol in 2013, where he spoke about Ashley in an interview with the show, calling her his "very, very pretty wife" and saying he loved her "more than anything."

Ashley, 37, was a devoted mother to the couple's two young daughters. She was also a youth baseball coach and a mentor at her church, according to people who knew her.

The trial is ongoing.