At Caleb Flynn’s Ohio murder trial Monday, jurors watched a video of his police questioning; he denied touching his wife, Ashley. Prosecutors cited his missing 9mm handgun and phone activity they say conflicts with his claim he was asleep. Flynn pleaded not guilty to murder.
Prosecutors allege Flynn used his 9mm handgun to kill Ashley and staged the scene to make police believe an intruder was responsible; the gun has not been found. Police found his truck in the garage with its center console open and the gun missing. Ohio Bureau of Investigation analyst Samantha Reeb testified that Flynn frequently messaged his mistress about wanting his wife to die. Reeb also said photos from Flynn’s phone were used to create an Instagram account named “Derrick Hammett,” which then messaged the mistress. Flynn sent her a song he wrote in the days before Ashley’s death.
On cross-examination, Detective Sgt. Mike Morgan said investigators found no blood from Ashley on Flynn and did not test him for gunshot residue. Morgan said the test was not done because Flynn told police he entered the bedroom four to six seconds after the shots; investigators did not want to rush to judgment, he testified. Flynn’s attorneys also had Reeb read a note on Ashley’s device describing the marriage as struggling, with no intimacy, respect, fondness or appreciation.
