Former worship pastor and former “American Idol” contestant Caleb Flynn has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Ashley Flynn, as his two young daughters delivered emotional messages urging their father to confess and repent.

Flynn was convicted of killing 37-year-old Ashley in their Tipp City, Ohio, home on Feb. 16. Prosecutors said evidence showed Flynn had planned the murder after developing a relationship with Alleigha Botner, a former church intern.

At Flynn’s sentencing, his daughters, Ava and Alyssa, now 10 and 12, confronted their father through victim impact statements read in court by family members. Flynn openly wept as he listened.

“Dear Daddy, I don’t even know where to start,” Ava wrote. “How could you do such a thing? I looked up to you. I loved you with all my heart.”

Ava described her mother as her “best friend” and questioned how her father could have taken her away. But even amid her grief, she pleaded with Flynn to turn back to God.

“All you have to do is tell God that you’re sorry and that you want to confess and repent to Him,” she wrote. “I promise you it won’t take away your punishment, but you will have a life in heaven someday.”

Alyssa’s statement was more pointed. She addressed her father as “Caleb” and urged him to admit responsibility.

“I loved you deeply with all my heart, and it’s sad that you can’t love anyone but yourself,” she wrote. “You have already caused so much pain to your family and the world, the least you could do is tell everyone you did it.”

Like her younger sister, Alyssa also called on her father to seek forgiveness.

“Also, please repent to God — the One who created you,” she wrote. “Your time isn’t over.”

Alyssa also questioned how Flynn could have served as a worship leader while hiding what was happening in his personal life.

“How could you stand in that church and sing about how much you love God when you knew all the secrets you had inside?” she asked.

Still, Alyssa said her faith has endured despite what her family has suffered.

“Through all of what you put me through, God is going to work something out for good,” she wrote.

Ashley’s sister, Kayla Keyt, who is now raising Ava and Alyssa with her husband, Matthew, also addressed Flynn in court. She acknowledged the lasting pain Ashley’s murder caused while making clear that the tragedy had not destroyed the family’s Christian faith.

“Caleb, you took Ashley from this earth, you took a mother from her daughters, you shattered a family that trusted you,” Keyt said.

“But you did not take Jesus from them,” she continued. “You did not take heaven from Ashley, and you did not destroy our faith.”

Flynn later addressed the court, apologizing to Ashley’s family for breaking his wedding vows and thanking his own family for their “unwavering love.”

Despite his daughters’ pleas for a confession, however, Flynn continued to deny killing his wife.

“I will continue to fight for my innocence as long as the Lord allows me to,” he said.