The attorney for Caleb Flynn's former mistress is pushing back against suspicions that she helped plot the murder of the former "American Idol" contestant's wife, telling Fox News Digital that disturbing messages about wanting Ashley Flynn dead were not evidence that his client took part in the Tipp City, Ohio, killing.
asserted
client → push → killing
Dayton defense attorney Nick Gounaris, who represents Alleigha Botner, said investigators reviewed her messages with Flynn, cellphone records and surveillance footage as they worked to determine whether she had any involvement in the crime.
asserted
she → represent → crime
Botner's secret affair with Flynn became a central part of his trial, where jurors heard exchanges about killing his wife, including a suggestion to hire someone to do it.
asserted
jurors → become → it
Flynn was ultimately convicted on Sept. 29 of murdering Ashley and sentenced on Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
asserted
Flynn → convict → parole
"I think the reason that she wasn't charged is just because you say something, you still have to show that that person was somehow involved," Gounaris told Fox News Digital.
asserted
Gounaris → think → Digital
"The evidence that was reviewed, the evidence that was developed, the evidence that they secured through all of these different avenues did not suggest anything that involved Alleigha Botner in the death of Ashley Flynn."
asserted
that → review → Flynn
Gounaris said he initially worried Botner could become a target of the investigation after she spoke to police without an attorney and was not entirely forthcoming about her relationship with Flynn.
uncertain
she → say → Flynn
Investigators had begun uncovering the affair while examining the Feb. 16 shooting at the couple's Tipp City home, where prosecutors said Flynn shot his wife twice in the back of the head before staging a break-in.
asserted
Flynn → begin → in
Botner eventually acknowledged the relationship, but her family became concerned about her legal exposure and contacted Gounaris, who began speaking with investigators to determine whether she was a witness or potential suspect.
asserted
she → acknowledge → investigators
"As a defense attorney, my first reaction is, wait a minute, we've got to be very careful ...
asserted
we → wait → attorney
we've got to be concerned that she might be a target here," Gounaris said.
uncertain
Gounaris → get → ?
"So ... let me bring her into the office.
asserted
me → let → office
Let's protect her.
asserted
's → let → her
Let me now be her advocate.
asserted
me → let → ?
Let me speak with investigators and let me then determine, you know, where this is going."
asserted
this → let → investigators
As more evidence emerged, Gounaris said, investigators increasingly treated Botner as a witness, and nothing they uncovered suggested she participated in Ashley's murder.
uncertain
she → emerge → murder
Jurors heard that Flynn and Botner exchanged over 107,000 messages during their affair, including conversations in which Flynn repeatedly expressed a desire to kill his wife.
asserted
Flynn → hear → wife
In one message, Flynn said he had stayed awake thinking of ways to kill Ashley without going to jail.
asserted
he → say → jail
WATCH: Caleb Flynn had ominous response when mistress said ‘I want to kill her’
asserted
I → watch → her
Gounaris acknowledged the exchanges were ugly but argued that messages discussing Ashley's death represented only a small fraction of their conversations and largely occurred months before the killing.
asserted
messages → acknowledge → killing
Some of the most troubling exchanges came just hours before Ashley was killed, when Flynn told Botner, "It's happening," and she responded, "You're about to be free."
Gounaris said the messages were about Flynn's plans to divorce his wife, explaining that the pair had stopped communicating for roughly a month after Botner ended their relationship in January because Flynn repeatedly failed to leave Ashley.
Flynn contacted her again shortly before the murder, claiming he was finally preparing to seek a divorce and disclose the affair to church leadership, Gounaris explained.
asserted
Gounaris → come → leadership
The renewed conversations included roughly 250 messages discussing divorce, custody, employment and what would happen if Flynn left his marriage, he said.
asserted
he → renew → marriage
Botner even researched divorce-related questions using ChatGPT and sent Flynn screenshots.
asserted
Botner → research → screenshots
"All of the communications that are contemporaneous with the time that he kills his wife all the way up to 12:45 in that morning – about an hour and 45 minutes ... before he calls 911 – are all about divorce," Gounaris said.
asserted
Gounaris → kill → divorce
He maintained that Botner believed Flynn was preparing to leave his wife, not kill her, an explanation she also gave during her testimony.
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she → maintain → testimony
But questions about Botner's conduct extended beyond the messages themselves.
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questions → extend → messages
During the trial, jurors heard about efforts to conceal the affair, including discussions about deleting communications and replacing phones.
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jurors → hear → phones
Gounaris argued those conversations were motivated by concerns that the relationship could jeopardize Flynn's chances of gaining custody of his daughters during a divorce.
uncertain
relationship → argue → divorce
"What are they covering up?" Gounaris asked.
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Gounaris → cover → ?
"They're covering up what the relationship was.
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relationship → cover → ?
So she was explaining to him, 'You need to go get a new phone, you need to delete this app.
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you → explain → app
We ... have not had these conversations.'
asserted
We → have → conversations
"
The attorney also offered his own theory about why Flynn killed Ashley, suggesting the former church music leader may have realized that ending his marriage would cost him the comfortable life he had built.
uncertain
he → offer → life
Flynn worked for his father-in-law's company, had two daughters and held a prominent role at his church.
asserted
Flynn → work → church
Gounaris believes the prospect of losing those things may have pushed him toward a fatal decision.
uncertain
prospect → believe → decision
"He had a girlfriend.
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He → have → girlfriend
He liked having a girlfriend.
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He → like → girlfriend
He had a wife.
asserted
He → have → wife
He liked having his wife
asserted
He → have → wife
, he liked his children, he liked his job, he liked his income, he liked his ...
asserted
he → like → his
…and 20 more, not listed.
The Aporia
