A former American Idol star on trial for allegedly murdering his teacher wife displayed a series of extreme tics during his court appearance on Monday morning.
uncertain
star → murder → morning
Caleb Flynn, 40, has fast become infamous for bursting into tears at the mention of evidence surrounding the February shooting of his wife Ashley, 37, in Tipp City, Ohio.
asserted
Flynn → become → City
He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
asserted
He → plead → charge
During Monday's trial in Troy, the American Idol 2013 contestant, who now works as a pastor, tensed his neck so tightly that veins started to bulge out of his skin.
asserted
veins → work → skin
Flynn did so as Ohio Bureau of Investigation detective David Hammond talked the jurors through a photo of a bloody night stand.
asserted
Hammond → do → stand
More dramatic body language was on display as jurors prepared to see a gruesome photo of Ashley's body after her killing, which saw her shot dead with a 9mm handgun as the couple's two young children slept in their bunk beds.
asserted
children → prepare → beds
Flynn looked straight towards Judge Jeannine Pratt and the back of his shirt collar began to move up and down as he jerked forward.
asserted
he → look → collar
His neck and ears blazed bright red as the courtroom was shown a photo of serious head injuries sustained by his late wife in the shooting.
asserted
courtroom → blaze → shooting
Flynn finally lost control of his emotions completely as the gravity of those photos sunk in.
American Idol star Caleb Flynn broke down again while being tried for his wife Ashley's murder on Monday.
asserted
Flynn → lose → Monday
Veins in the stars neck bulged, while he also scratched at himself and turned bright red
Flynn, his wife Ashley and their two daughters are pictured celebrating Christmas together.
asserted
Flynn → bulge → Christmas
The girls were asleep in their bunk beds when their mother was murdered
He swallowed repeatedly, lowered his head and began frantically wiping his face with tissues as tears began to flow.
asserted
tears → murder → tissues
Monday's trial saw prosecution witnesses attempt to poke holes in Flynn's claim that Ashley was killed by an intruder, who has never been tracked down.
uncertain
who → see → intruder
He was seen fidgeting as Detective Hammond told the court how the door handle to the couple's garage had been broken off, sparking the intruder claim.
uncertain
handle → see → claim
He then seemed to shift uncomfortably as Hammond shared details he said undermined the burglary theory.
asserted
he → seem → theory
Hammond told the court there was 'one unusual thing' - that while the garage door had been broken, there was no evidence that anyone had ever tried to pry it open to gain entry to the property.
asserted
anyone → tell → property
That allegation saw Flynn look from side to side, then downwards.
asserted
Flynn → see → side
He scratched his ear as Hammond said: 'I couldn't find any damage...
asserted
I → scratch → damage
both locks were unlocked.
asserted
locks → unlock → ?
There was no evidence a pry tool was inserted to open it.
asserted
tool → be → it
Flynn displayed a flash of temper and shook his head from side to side as Hammond told the court: 'It didn't look right to me.'
asserted
It → display → me
A photo shown in court Monday said to depict Flynn's SUV with a gun safe where he usually kept his weapon.
asserted
he → show → weapon
It was empty in the wake of the shooting
A bullet that traveled through Ashley's head and into her elbow is seen in a piece of photographic evidence shared with the court on Monday
Flynn was also seen rolling his shoulders during the trial, which saw prosecutors allege that the gun Flynn normally kept in his car was missing after Ashley's killing.
And it wasn't just the American Idol contestant who caught the eye, with a female member of the public ejected from court after trying to subtly give the finger to a sheriff's deputy.
asserted
member → travel → deputy
It is unclear what prompted the dramatic incident.
uncertain
what → prompt → incident
Last week, the court was told how Flynn had cheated on Ashley with an unidentified mistress and shown texts where he'd expressed a desire to kill his spouse.
asserted
he → tell → spouse
Flynn sent the woman more than 100,000 messages during the yearslong affair, including one which read: 'If I could literally kill her and not go to hell I would in a heartbeat.
uncertain
I → send → heartbeat
That is how dark and hateful I feel.'
Flynn is seen during one of his many meltdowns at his trial for murdering his late wife Ashley
Flynn appeared on American Idol in 2013.
asserted
Flynn → feel → 2013
He made it through the first round of auditions but was later knocked out of the show
Prosecutor Paul M. Watkins read another text to the court in which Flynn told the woman: 'I was up until 4AM last night crying.
'
asserted
I → make → 4AM
Flynn's attorney Emily Smith says he admits the affair and that the texts were 'hurtful and selfish', but said only to appease his mistress.
asserted
texts → say → mistress
Smith says the texts do not offer any proof beyond reasonable doubt that Flynn killed Ashley.
asserted
Flynn → say → Ashley
He passed his initial American Idol audition and made it to the show's Hollywood rounds before being given the boot.
asserted
He → pass → boot
The trial continues.
asserted
trial → continue → ?
The Aporia
