Caleb Flynn Pointed Police to WHAT Door?!

Tony Brueski (0:00)

This is The Big Breakdown, a long look back at some of the biggest stories we're covering for you at the Hidden Killers Podcast and True Crime Today. This is Hidden Killers Live with Tony Brueski and Robin Dreeke.

Tony Brueski (0:18)

That's off with a bang. The trial of Caleb Flynn is officially underway in Miami County, Ohio for Caleb Flynn. Just so you know, you're going to hear Miami County a lot in this. It ain't Florida. It's Ohio for Caleb Flynn, the former American Idol contestant and worship leader facing 11 charges, including aggravated murder for the execution of his wife, Ashley. Investigators say he didn't just pull the trigger, but he staged their tip city home to look like a botched burglary, put on the performance of a lifetime on a 911 call and did it all while his two young daughters slept down the hall. Law enforcement saw right through the grieving husband act almost immediately. Joining us to break all of this down on where this is going as the trial gets underway. We're going to start talking about the 911 call, Jennifer Coffindaffer, retired FBI special agent, and Robin Dreeke, retired FBI special agent, chief of the counterintelligence behavioral analysis program. All right, here we go. Caleb Flynn trial. It's been delayed once, it's finally starting. It started off this morning with opening statements as we're recording this.

They started off with a bang. We'll get to some of the statements that were read aloud in opening in court. It's kind of like, well, looks like this case is done. But let's start with the 911 call. Caleb was sobbing hysterically if you've heard this call.

Oh my God. Should we do a reenactment, everybody? Should I have a phone here? I don't have the audio.

Robin Dreeke (1:49)

That's only Thursdays, right?

Tony Brueski (1:51)

Oh my God. Oh my God. I wish it was John Paul Miller. I'd like to talk really high like this.

It was kind of reminiscent of the John Paul Miller call or his statements when he's on the phone talking really, really high. I get people act differently in different situations, but that was that, hysterical 911 call. Yet, fitting the dispatcher, incredibly specific details about a Phantom burglar and exactly how many times Ashley had been shot from both the behavioral and investigative perspective. What are the immediate red flags that separate a staged performance from genuine chaotic panic, Jen?

Jennifer Coffindaffer (2:33)

Well, that 911 call is another perfect example of absolute BS.

And how we know it is people, when they are truly panic and upset, they don't go into a colloquy about details of a crime. They want to get the person there. They're typically absolutely hysterical. And this is, when I say hysterical, meaning they're not making sense. They are not specifically outlining who's at fault. It reminded me a lot, actually, of Murdoch, how he laid out, well, I think it could be this person because of this boat accident and blah, blah, blah. No, your son's head has been blown off and your wife has been stalked and blown up with a long gun. No, that is not what happens. And I know people say, well, different people have different reactions. Not in this way. In this way, the 911, the initial call is typically very much the same for people who aren't lying.

Robin Dreeke (3:37)

Yeah. And for doing comparisons, you listen to the Ellen Greenberg 911 call too, you get the same kind of granular detail you shouldn't normally get. And the other thing that I found in King Groom with that call was exactly what you said, Jen. And if he thinks or even in any way whatsoever that there's been a burglar or someone came in the house, why isn't he with the girls?

Tony Brueski (4:00)

Yeah, I think that was everybody's question.

Robin Dreeke (4:03)

Safety, safety, safety, you know, life and safety. The first thing your primordial brain goes to when you fear, when you fear and his fear reaction was, let's describe how the door was left open in the garage.

Tony Brueski (4:16)

And two shots. Yeah. The first thing he says is my wife, we shot two times in the head. That's interesting. I mean, I've never been to a crime scene, guys.

How easy is it to tell how many times someone has been shot? If you're walking into the scene for the first time, you're just as shocked, you're not expecting this to be there. I mean, two bullets to the head, I don't know, can you pick that? I don't know. How easy is it just for an amateur to walk in and go, oh, she was shot two times and be accurate about that?