Former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn is on trial for allegedly murdering his wife, Ashley, in their Ohio home, with prosecutors arguing that his affair with Alleigha Botner provided a motive. Botner told jurors that she pressured Flynn to leave his wife, while messages allegedly showed both lovers discussing Ashley’s death. Flynn has pleaded not guilty and says an intruder killed Ashley while he slept nearby with their daughters.

The court heard that Flynn and Botner exchanged more than 100,000 messages during their 18-month affair. Flynn allegedly wrote that he was willing to risk his daughters, job, home, church role and reputation to be with Botner, while she warned that leaving Ashley could mean seeing his children only half the time. Botner became tearful while reading messages in which she expressed a desire to kill Ashley, but said she meant divorce when making earlier statements about Ashley being “gone”.