(Miami County Sheriff\u2019s Department)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBotner testified that she first met Caleb in 2022 at the Christian Life Center, where he worked as a worship pastor. She said she didn\u2019t initially know he was married because he wasn\u2019t wearing a wedding ring.<\/p>\n
The two eventually began an affair in March 2024.<\/p>\n
And despite the secretive nature of their relationship, the two flaunted their romance by getting matching tattoos.<\/p>\n
According to Botner, she and Caleb bonded over their shared love of Harry Potter and eventually decided to commemorate that connection with matching lightning-bolt tattoos.<\/p>\n
But there was just one problem: Caleb was a married man.<\/p>\n
So he reportedly put his tattoo in a rather strategic location.<\/p>\n
Botner testified that she got her lightning bolt tattooed on her arm, while Caleb had his placed in his armpit so Ashley wouldn\u2019t see it.<\/p>\n
\nBut the tattoo was just one of several details Botner shared about the relationship as she testified against Caleb.<\/p>\n
She told the jury that Caleb frequently spoke negatively about Ashley and allegedly discussed wanting her out of his life.<\/p>\n
Botner testified that Caleb would talk about killing Ashley while also discussing ways he could do so without going to jail. Prosecutors have previously presented text messages in which Caleb allegedly wrote about trying to figure out how to kill his wife.<\/p>\n
Hours before Ashley\u2019s death on February 16, prosecutors say Caleb sent Botner a message reading, \u201cI choose you. I\u2019m free. Actions will come tomorrow, February 16, a day I\u2019ll never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ashley, 37, was found dead inside the couple\u2019s Tipp City, Ohio home. Caleb initially claimed that an intruder had entered the house, but investigators later alleged that the crime scene had been staged.<\/p>\n
Caleb, 40, faces charges including murder, aggravated murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence and witness intimidation.<\/p>\n
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.<\/p>\n
As for Botner, she testified that she ultimately came to believe Caleb was responsible for Ashley\u2019s death. She also admitted that she and Caleb had exchanged more than 100,000 text messages during their relationship.<\/p>\n
The secret tattoo was only one small piece of the story. But it\u2019s one that highlights just how bizarre and brazen this clandestine love affair became.<\/p>\n
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