A teacher in an Illinois high school is in even deeper trouble after further investigation from authorities unveiled that her crime of sexually abusing a teenage student has been going on for longer than they thought. In fact, the abuse allegedly even began as soon as the boy turned into a teenager, and naturally, the court has added more charges against the teacher.
30-year-old Christina Formella is the teacher in question, and she was a special education teacher at Downers Grove South High School. There, she met her unnamed victim, now a 15-year-old high school student. The student himself came forward to the authorities to report Formella’s inappropriate sexual contact. The boy’s mother also discovered that this abuse happened as early as January 2023 after digging through his son’s phone messages.
Some of the more disturbing messages between the two even hinted at the teacher’s grooming attempts:
“I love so much mama,” texted the victim to Christina Formella
“I love you so much baby… Even though this morning was short, it was perfect,” replied Formella
Turns out Formella allegedly sexually abused the boy around 50 times– mostly on school grounds, starting from January 2023. She was only 28 at the time, and her student was only 13 back when her alleged crimes began.
“The new allegations against Ms. Formella, including the allegations of grooming and that the abuse lasted nearly two years, are beyond disturbing.
I thank the victim in this case for having the courage to come forward during what I imagine is an extremely difficult time for him,” says DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin, transcript courtesy of The Sun.
Originally, Formella was charged with two counts of sexual abuse and one count of sexual assault, but after the investigation concluded on June 17, Attorney Robert Berlin added 52 more counts for the Illinois teacher. The jury has since indicted Formella on 20 counts of sexual assault, 20 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, six counts of indecent solicitation of a child, and six counts of grooming.
She Tried to Wiggle Out
Back when she had a lot fewer charges, Christina Formella denied the allegations, claiming that everybody just targets her because of her “good looks.” Additionally, Formella stated that she was a victim of blackmail and that the student merely used her phone to send the messages and pass them off as an authentic conversation.
It’s worth noting that Formella is also married, and her husband, Michael, also taught and coached his wife’s alleged victim in soccer at Downers Grove South High School. Christina has also appealed the court’s decision, though it has been denied, and she will be detained until her trial, which will be on August 4.
And despite the overwhelming charges and the nature of the evidence, Christina Formella insists on her innocence and that she’s just a victim of a teenage student. Meanwhile, people online were already judging Christina Formella as guilty, after all, she’s not the first to form such an illegal relationship with a student.
“Why do teachers have such a proclivity for sex with underage children? Disgusting!” says Zealousideal_Neck78
“All I can think is that poor child’s got to live with this trauma. that is messed up,” according to Far-Depth4421
“Horrific r*pist. I hope she gets life in prison,” hopes PolloMama
