Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Former American Idol Contestant, Worship Leader Faces New Charges in Death of His Wife|Crime Alert Recap Saturday 03.28.26

Episode Date: March 28, 2026

Caleb Flynn, 39, a former contestant on "American Idol," has been charged with aggravated murder and a series of additional offenses following the alleged killing of his wife, Ashley Flynn, at their Ohio home.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime alert, hourly update. Breaking Crime News now. I'm Nicole Parton. Caleb Flynn, a 39-year-old former contestant on American Idol, has been charged with aggravated murder and a series of additional offenses following the alleged killing of his wife, Ashley Flynn, at their Ohio home. A grand jury in Miami County has issued an 11-count indictment against Flynn, which includes charges of aggravated murder, three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault. assault, three counts of tampering with evidence, two counts of intimidation of a witness, all in his criminal proceeding. Several of these charges are specifically related to firearms. Prior to this, Flynn faced charges of murder, two counts of felonious assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of tampering with evidence. The number of charges now increasing. Prosecutors claim that Flynn used a nine-millimeter handgun and manipulated the crime scene to deceive

investigators. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his bond is set at two million dollars. According to prosecutors, Flynn allegedly tried to intimidate a witness in the days following the shooting between February 16 and February 18, although the indictment does not specifically detail that witness. A 911 call obtained by Fox News Digital features Flynn reporting that someone is broken into their home and shot his wife. Oh my gosh. God, he can be heard saying, someone broke into my home, someone broke into my home and they shot my wife. My wife, she's been shot twice in the head and there's blood everywhere. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. At the time of the incident, only Ashley, Caleb and their two children were

home. RP and juvenile daughter are locked in a room. The dispatcher informed police, according to the outlet, just to clarify the juveniles are currently in their own rooms asleep, said the dispatch. In a previous statement to Fox News Digital, Caleb Flynn's attorney, Patrick Mulligan, expressed concerns that prosecutors were, quote, too quick to accuse his client of murder. Caleb Flynn entered a plea of not guilty and looks forward to defending himself in the case. We are both disappointed and worried about the rushed timeline and apparent rushed a judgment, Mulligan said. When investigators exhaust their leads or struggle to find evidence, they often focus on the surviving spouse, he said.

Caleb Flynn gained attention as a contestant on American Idol, where he expressed his deep affection for his wife during a 2013 hometown interview segment. I absolutely love the Lord and I love my wife more than anything. She is very, very pretty. I love her, Flynn said at the time. But you know, I'm a regular guy who loves to sing more than anything else. For now, he's singing behind bars. More Crime and Justice News after this.

I'm Drew Nelson. A Massachusetts police officer and her husband are now facing child rape charges after a man says they abused him for years, starting when he was a teenager. The defendants are 31-year-old Samantha Pell Rine, who is a Plymouth police officer and her husband, 37-year-old Daniel Ferrand. They were arraigned in Plymouth District Court on Thursday and both pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say the abuse went on for years. Plymouth Assistant District Attorney Jim Duffy told the court the alleged victim was taken into the couple's home and later forced to. into repeated sexual encounters. This continues on with the three of them, with the alleged victim being forced to partake in these sexual encounters with Samantha and Daniel. According to investigators, the man who is now in his early 20s went to state police on March 15th. He reported that he had been sexually assaulted first by Ferrand and then by Ferrand and Pelrin together on multiple occasions from 2018 through 2025.

Court records say the abuse began after the couple took him in and later became his legal guardians. State police moved quickly after the report. Arrest warrants were obtained and both were taken into custody at their home early in the morning, and authorities say they went peacefully. In court, defense attorneys pushed back hard on the allegations and focused on the credibility of the accuser. Pellreen's attorney, Joseph Kroski Jr. There was a history with this young man. He was a problem, and we can document it. He had accused someone falsely of sexually inappropriate behavior when he was in high school. Ferrand's attorney Tamari Kovach also challenged the claims laid out in court filings.

I was baffled when I read the affidavit for the restraining order. So his stories are inconsistent, and I know today is not the day of trial. Despite the seriousness of the charges, both defendants were released after posting bail. The judge set bail at $25,000 for Ferrand and $10,000 for Pelrene. The court also imposed strict conditions. They are not allowed to have any content. with the alleged victim. They cannot be around anyone under 18. They must surrender any firearms. They must stay in Massachusetts and turn over their passports. The Plymouth Police Department

has responded to the case, saying it is appalled and deeply disturbed by the allegations. The department also confirmed Officer Pellreen's duty status is under review and that an internal investigation is underway. The couple is due back in court on June 8. I'm Jennifer Gould. A blood-soaked morning at a Vero Beach beach Public Library has ignited a desperate maritime manhunt after a 64-year-old husband allegedly transformed a quiet parking lot into a slaughterhouse with an AR-15-style rifle. Jesse Ellis is wanted on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder for the execution of his estranged wife, Stacey Mason, 49, and her lover, 56-year-old Danny Uli, both. were highly respected Indian River County employees. This was no spontaneous explosion of rage.

It was a calculated, cold-blooded killing, fueled by a deteriorating 13-year marriage. Here's Vero Beach Police Chief David Curry at the news conference. Two individuals that were apparently seeing each other for a period of time and one husband being upset about it. The chief revealed that Ellis had recently obtained professional services, believed to be a private investigator, to track the pair to their clandestine meeting spot. Chilling surveillance footage captured the husband,

stalking Uli's Ford Ranger at 7 a.m., having reportedly parked his dark gray Ford F-150 on a nearby street to avoid detection before creeping toward the victims with the assault-style. rifle in hand. In a sickening display of violence, Ellis allegedly sprayed the driver's side with high-velocity rounds to take out Ouli before circling to the passenger side where his wife sat. As a wounded mason desperately tried to scramble from the truck and fell onto the asphalt, Ellis allegedly stood over her and pumped additional rounds into her body at point-blank range to a ensure she was dead. The investigation has since shifted from a search for a missing person to a high-stakes manhunt for a highly skilled and dangerous outdoorsman. Following the double homicide,

Ellis allegedly dumped his truck at South Beach and walked directly into the ocean fully clothed. In a mind-bending twist, fire rescue crews actually intercepted him 900 yards offshore. but the killer gave a fake name and refused help before vanishing into the Atlantic near Rheomar Country Club. Police executed a series of search war and said Ellis's southern Indian River County home, seizing an additional cache of firearms and digital devices currently undergoing forensic analysis. Chief Curry noted that as an avid hunter, Ellis possesses the survivalist skills necessary to navigate the in Florida coastline and evade capture indefinitely. Here's the chief again at the news conference.

You know, a crime of passion type incident, you know, a marital issue where, you know, it's very sad and terrible what took place. But that's why we said we don't think there's a threat to the community. The search has reached a fever pitch with cadaver dogs and high-speed zodiac boats scouring the surf. While authorities admit Ellis may have drowned, they are operating under the grim reality that a double murderer remains at large. If captured alive, Ellis is facing a capital felony that could land him on death row. A routine child custody exchanged at a San Antonio, Texas YMCA, dissolved into a scene of primitive violence after a scorned mother allegedly teamed up with her. replacement's ex-boyfriend to carry it out a calculated hit. Melanie Sierra Gomez 32 and Abel Revis,

26, are facing felony aggravated assault charges after an ambush that left Oscar Hevier Barbosa fighting for his life. Investigators say the plot was a twisted alliance of exes, where Gomez allegedly recruited Rivas, the former flame of Barbosa's current girlfriend, to settle a blood debt over a new pregnancy. The trap was sprung at the Davis Scott family YMCA on Iowa Street. According to an arrest affidavit, Gomez lured Barbosa outside the facility via phone, leading him directly into the path of a knife-wielding Rivas. Barbosa's current girlfriend was on the line during the attack, hearing the victim desperately plead, quote, Are you going to stab me over this end quote, before the call cut to silence?

As Rivas allegedly went to work with a folding blade, Gomez did not just watch. She reportedly became the muscle physically pinning Barbosa against a car and dragging him back as he tried to run from the flurry of stabs to his stomach and arms. Gomez, who was already on probation for making terroristic threats, allegedly taunted the bleeding father about getting his new girlfriend pregnant before Revis hijacked the victim's car and fled. Barbosa was rushed into emergency surgery and miraculously survived to ID his attackers. Revis was hauled into the Bexar County Jail, held on a $105,000 bond,

while Gomez has since posted bail. And finally, it looks like one department needs a paddleboard patrol because this chase just went off road and into the deep end. Here's the body cam. Before we ask you any questions to have a lawyer present, Hey! Now I'm running. White mail, blue shirt, white shorts, white shorts, soundbound on the mental.

Chase Cruz, that is his name, 28, gave Florida's a lot of. Volusia Sheriff's Office Run for their money, a chase, ha ha, when he bolted mid-Miranda and dove into the Halifax River. Thinking he was home free, Cruz was shocked to see Daytona Beach Shores officers

trading their squad cars for paddleboards to coast into his escape route. Aerial footage captured the moment Lawman balanced their duty to hook the suspect while floating in murky water. Talk about bored to be wild.

was towed back to a waiting dock and slapped with charges of loitering, prowling, and resisting arrest. It turns out when you try to tide over the law, the police will sink your plans. For the latest crime and justice news, follow the Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app. With this Crime Alert, I'm Jennifer Gould.