Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - 13 Disgusting Texts in Middle School Teacher Sex Case

Episode Date: April 1, 2026

Ashley Fisler is accused of sex crimes involving a former middle school student of hers in New Jersey. During a detention hearing on April 1, 2026 in Gloucester County, a prosecutor discussed a number of claims from text messages when arguing Fisler should be detained. Fisler's attorney said the text messages "lack context." Law&Crime's Angenette Levy goes through some of the prosecution's claims in this episode of Crime Fix — a daily show covering the biggest stories in crime.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Download the FREE Upside App at https://upside.app.link/crimefix to get an extra 25 cents bonus for every gallon on your first tank of gas.Host:Angenette Levy  https://twitter.com/Angenette5Guests: Joseph Scott Morgan https://x.com/JoScottForensicSteve Wolf https://x.com/StuntScienceCRIME FIX PRODUCTION:Head of Social Media, YouTube - Bobby SzokeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinVideo Editing - Daniel CamachoGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

She admits in the text messages that she was sexually attracted to the victim when he was 13 and 14 years old. But she apologizes for nothing. A seventh grade boy, a teacher and claims of sexual abuse. He recalls a time where the defendant performed on him as well when other people were in the root. The prosecutor says years of text messages prove the case, but the teacher says it's all being overblown. The selective, salacious texts that were cited by the prosecution lack context. I go through the raunchy text. The prosecutor claims Ashley Fisler sent to her former student. I'm Anjanette Levy and this is crime fix. Before we get into this really

disturbing case, I want to tell you about something that I've been using that I really like. It's called Upside. It's an app that will get you cash back on things that you buy every day like gas, groceries and takeout. Here's what you do. You download Upside for free. You claim an offer at one of their 100,000 plus locations and pay like normal with your card. Then verify the purchase and boom, you get money back. So say I need gas or want takeout one night. I'll search for upside offers first. After I spend money, it appears in my app so I can transfer it straight into my bank account.

Upsides frequent users earn an average of $254 back a year. So to start getting your cash back, click the link in the description or scan that QR code that you see on the screen and use the promo code crime fix to get an extra 25 cents bonus on every gallon on your first tank of gas. Ashley Fisler faces serious felony sex crimes charges in New Jersey. The former teacher is in jail and a judge is deciding whether she should stay there until her trial or be released on bail. The prosecutor in the case says Fisler, a former social studies teacher at Orchard Valley Middle School in Gloucester County, is a danger to the community despite not working as a as a teacher any longer. And in making that argument, the prosecutor read from a number of text

messages she said the student and Fisler exchanged over a number of years. The alleged abuse happened in Fisler's classroom in 2021 and in her car. It's the same classroom where Fisler's now husband got down on one knee and popped the question back in 2018. This defendant is charged with six counts of aggravated sexual assault, official misconduct, and second degree endangering the welfare of a child by sexual conduct. The sex acts in this case were reported to have happened in 2021 and 2022, either in her middle school classroom where she taught the victim or in the defendant's car at the Cluster's apartment complex, all occurred in Gloucester County. Specifically, the victim reported at least two instances of intercourse in the defendant's car,

at the clusters. He also reported at least four separate times that the defendant performed on him, twice on the same days as the intercourse and twice in the middle school classroom while he was the defendant's student. The victim's statement in this case was corroborated by the years of tax messages between the victim and the defendant. At the time, this defendant was a schoolteacher at Orchard Valley Middle School, and the state submits that she did have a duty to protect and care for this victim by the nature of her occupation. Ashley Fisler's defense attorney did not argue against probable cause because the bar for that is so very low. But this was a detention hearing. So the state had to prove three things to get the

judge to order that Ashley Fisler remain behind bars. Moving then to the elements of detention, if the state could express the reasons why the eligible defendant will not appear in court, that she would pose a danger to the people of the community or that she would have to obstruct justice. Your Honor, this was more than just six isolated and aberrant acts of sexual abuse against a minor. This was a pattern of six years of grooming, manipulation, and abuse by this defendant. as a middle school teacher against one of her active and then former students. Your Honor, I did provide a large number of text messages

to counsel between the defendant and the victim. They, because of the nature of the cell phone, they start in May of 2023 and they continue through January of 2026. There are references in those text messages to FaceTime's and prior conversations, but the actual conversations, but the actual messages that we have don't go back further than May of 2023 at this time.

These text messages show not only the level of the grooming and manipulation by this defendant, but they also corroborate multiple times over the sexual relationship disclosed by this victim, including the specific sexual acts that the victim disclosed to police during his interview. For example, Your Honor, in a text message conversation that occurred on August, 9th of 2023. The defendant is reminiscing with the victim about when the victim was in middle school, specifically a time that the victim came to her classroom on her prep period and the defendant made out with the victim and that they were grinding. This is stated by the victim in his statement to police. He explains that when he was in middle school, he would go to her classroom on her prep period,

which was third period. Even all these years later, he remembers the specific period. And he recalls this specific incident. She reminisces about the time that they were in the car together and the defendant started to strip while the victim's pants were down and the victim touching the defendant's inner thigh in her car. The prosecutor in this case says the grooming actually started in 2020 and the sexual abuse happened in 2021 and 2022, but the prosecutor says the inappropriate texting continued for years after. These sexual conversations and the sexual endangering of this child continue, such as in

late November of 2023 when she talks about the victim and another former male student and asks whether they are sword fighting based on the conversation and the context. It appears that she's talking about whether or not they are having their touch. In December of 2023, the victim confides in the defendant that he's struggling in school because he's getting erections more frequently in school. And the defendant's response was, quote, oh my God, that's fantastic. End quote. She offers that same month to shave the victim's and genital area. And just a few months later, in February of 2024, she offers to buy the victim a sex toy.

He explains that he's considering getting one, but he's not 18 yet. So he doesn't know that he can buy one she offers to do that for him. Specifically about the victim's age, there are multiple conversations about the victim's age. There is no mistaking how old this child was at the time of these conversations. For example, during one of the conversations on August 19, 2023, the victim states that he just wants the defendant to acknowledge that he's changed since he was 12, since he is now 15. The reason he's able to say that, Your Honor, is because this defendant met him when he was 12 years old as her seventh grade student. She knows how much she's changed because her communication with him has never stopped. The conversations recounted by the prosecutor are X-rated for sure. They are very explicit.

And in some, she said Fisler discussed the teen having sex with girls his own age. there's also a discussion specifically on May 26th, 2023, where the defendant has recommended a movie to the victim. And in that movie, one of the characters is talking to their genitals. And the victim, in a joking way, asks if she's ever talked to her. And she explains that the first time she caught the victim's eyes, she told her, quote, no, end quote, because, quote, you were

my student in my class. Your Honor, the damage done here was not only encompassed by the sexual abuse, but the pattern of manipulation that caused mental and emotional damage to this child. The victim tells the defendant that she was his first female non-friend interaction, and he talks to her about his mental health struggles and how he doesn't know how to deal with what he's feeling as a result of her abuse. She even admits that she put him in positions that she shouldn't have and says, quote, I feel like I forced you to grow up abnormally quick. That was on August 10th of 2023 when he was 15 years old. The victim also tells the defendant how even as he's coming to an age where he wants to have sexual acts and sexual contact with

girls his own age, he's struggling because he doesn't want, he says in November, he doesn't even want to have sex with another girl because he knows he'll just end up thinking about the defendant. And the defendant's response to that is not to, quote, call her Ashley in bed, end quote. In some of the conversations, the prosecutor said the teenage boy talks about how he's struggling emotionally by what he experienced with Ashley Fistler. On June 3rd of 2024, he sends a very long text to the defendant explaining all these mental health struggles that he's suffering. And in response, the defendant admits that she hurt him countless times and says, quote, I take the blame for all of this. And Judge, just to really, I can't exemplify the damage done to this child more than he already has in his own words.

On January 20th of 2025, the victim told the defendant, quote, I've had to try really hard to rebuild the things you broke inside of me. You destroyed things inside of me. You stripped me of my innocence. Your Honor, these charges do not encompass any type of child sexual abuse material offenses or sending obscenity to minors, but these are circumstances that the state would ask Your Honor to consider. They are not encompassed within the actual complaint, but they are circumstances that Your Honor is able to consider. For example, on June 1st of 2023, she asks the victim to send pictures of himself in his boxers and says she is, disappointed when he didn't. Now, because of the way that these text messages are,

because there's some time ago, the thumbnails in the text message export from the extraction are blank. So we can't actually see the embedded images in these text messages, but we can see when an image is being sent and we can see the context. So for example, at one point, the victim sends an image to the defendant

that can't be seen in that extraction, but based on the context of the subject subsequent messages and the defendant's responses, it seems to have been a picture of the victim's he would have been underage at the time. The prosecutor also claims that Ashley Fisler encouraged the teenage boy to send naked photos of himself to her, although she said some of those images are too old to be recovered. The victim also references in July of 2024 sending sexual pictures to the defendant in the past. And on February 25th of 2024, the victim would have been 16 at the time. The defendant says she wants to see his

after she recommended that he trim his pubic hair. She specifically clarifies she wants a quote before and after, end quote. Again, based on the context of these text messages, because we cannot see the actual image that was sent. The victim does send a picture of his erect and the reason I say this is because the defendant's response is, quote, you got hard just thinking about me, end quote. The conversation conversation.

continued into the next day when the victim said, I took pictures for you. Your Honor, even though it is not charged, even though we do not have these images, if the victim, in fact, took photographs of his for the defendant after she directed him to do so, that is manufacturing child sexual abuse material and it is a circumstance that Your Honor should consider because that circumstance shows not only the damage done by this defendant, but the danger that she poses to the community When I first told you about Ashley Fistler, I told you that police wrote in an affidavit, that she denied the claims that she sexually abused the boy, who's now an adult. Now the prosecutor has revealed more detail about Fisler's interview with detectives.

Take a listen. The defendant in this case did give a post Miranda statement to police. And she initially denied that she knew she was texting the victim. Her original statement was that she was texting a grown man from Ohio that she had met on the internet, that coincidentally had the same name as her former student. Ultimately, detectives confronted her with some of the text messages that they already had from the victim's phone,

and she admitted, ultimately, that at some point in the years-long conversations, she knew it was him. But, Your Honor, based on the context of these conversations, she knew all along. She claimed she doesn't see phone numbers, and she wouldn't have known who she was texting, but she initiates the conversations,

multiple times. She texts good luck on your first day on the first day of school in 2023 and 2024 for that school year. And she wishes him good luck on his driving test on his 17th birthday. And while this student eventually went on to high school, the prosecutor said the student and Ashley Fisler still saw one another. Also based on the text messages, they were still seeing each other in person in 2024 and 2025. They just weren't having sexual contact. The last time seeing each other based on the text messages was July 7th, 2025. They saw each other in public. It seems to have been a fleeting site, but that doesn't mean that they weren't seeing each other. Additionally, as is clear in the text messages, he's still seeing her friends on a regular basis because they're his teachers.

Just to talk about the sexual conversations that occurred, because again, while the contact stopped in 2022 when he stopped being her student, the conversation. The conversations did not. The prosecutor said considering there was still contact between Fisler and the student, she doesn't consider January 2026 a significant delay and reporting the alleged sexual abuse to police. Regarding the delay here, there is no significant delay. While the sexual contact stopped in 2022, the sexual conversations did not. And additionally, the last contact and communication was initiated by the defendant on January, 3rd, 26. The victim reported these acts to the police 10 days later, January 13th. That is not a

significant delay for someone who was abused, groomed, and manipulated for six years. The prosecutor also went into more detail about some of the sexually explicit texts. She said Ashley Fisler exchanged with the then teenage boy. To keep this brief, there are over 7,500 pages of text messages between the defendant and the victim. So I can't go through them all here for purposes of time. So I'm just going to give you a snippet from August of 2023 through January of 2024 because the victim turned 16 years old in 2024. August 9th of 2023, she asks him to come hold her at her home and says she left the door unlocked.

Also that month, the victim bragged to the defendant about having sex with an 11th grader at a party. He would have been going into his 10th grade year. The defendant's response to that was, quote, I wish it was me, end quote. The victim then clarified upon questioning by the defendant that he was thinking about the defendant while he was having sex with the girl, and he also wished it was her. The defendant asked if the victim was going to have sex with her again and asked for specific details such as whether the girl had put the defendant's s' inside of her then saying, quote, watching your face relax and simultaneously tense up at the same time is my favorite when I slide you inside of me." End quote. Later that day, the victim said that the girl had reached out to him and she never felt like she did during sex with the victim.

And so the defendant said, I clearly taught you very well. She then asked point blank, how did you make her c-a-and. And when the victim described what he and the girl did, the defendant asked, quote, how come I never got now I'm sad. Your Honor, these are not just sexual conversations which are endangering

the welfare of this child, but this is also showing the manipulation of this defendant that the victim can't even have what most people would deem a normal sexual encounter with an age-appropriate person without her turning it into something

about her. She is bringing up their prior sexual acts. She's wanting all of the details. And she's talking to him about how it's making her jealous and sad. The prosecutor also said there were discussions between Fisler in which she described how she taught the boy about the female anatomy and recommended so-called porny movies to him. Like I said, Your Honor, this is not isolated and aberrant. This is a continuous course of conduct that occurred over the course of six years. She was his husband. She was his

middle school teacher when it started. Ultimately, she left that job. But even when they weren't seeing each other regularly, her sexual abuse of the victim did not stop. The prosecutor talked about why she believes Ashley Fisler is a danger to the community. Finally, Your Honor, with regard to the danger to the community and any individual, the extent of the pursuit by this defendant bespeaks a heightened risk, even that over and above those typically charged with these types of crimes. For example, as stated by the victim, they used to have sex in her car at the Cluster's apartment. That's a public place. They were in a parking lot.

He recalls a time where the defendant performed on him as well when other people were in the room. And the defendant says in the text messages, quote, I did do that. And quote, I was brave. She even then clarifies further saying, there were literally people right there. Whether they were in public or there were other people in the room, her criminality could not be deterred. Additionally, the victim tried multiple times to break off this relationship and communication,

but the defendant pulled him and manipulated him right back in. For example, in October of 24, the victim told her that he needed to disappear for a while regarding communication with her because he was struggling so much with his mental health. she then responds saying that he should check in at least weekly with her, but suggested checking in daily. And additionally, in January of 2025, again, these communications from the defendant did not stop until, well, really, we know they didn't stop until February. But before the disclosure of the victim, the defendant's communications did not stop until 10 days before the defendant's communications did not stop until 10 days before the disclosure, January 3rd. But on January 20th, 2025, the victim sent, and he could not have been more clear, Your Honor. Quote, I don't want you in my life anymore. As I'm getting older and I look

back on our situation with a better understanding of the world, I can't help but to see you as manipulative and selfish. That's a quote from the victim's text messages. And even after that message from the victim. The defendant continued initiating normal everyday conversations. She texted him the next day and the next day and the next day and the next day. She did not stop texting him until eight days after he said this. And then on the ninth day, she triple texted him without a response. She texted again on the 30th. 10 days after the victim said, I don't want you in my life anymore and said that he was starting to realize her manipulation. She would not let him go. Your Honor, in November of 2023, the defendant shows the lack of remorse that she has.

The defendant sends the victim a photo. Again, we can't see what it is. But the victim's response is jokingly, clearly from the context. It's joking. He says, quote, whoa, are you trying to rate me? and the defendant's response is and to send another photo to which the victim is clearly confused and responds, when did you rape me? That's because he is a child, judge. He is 15 at the time of this conversation

and has been groomed by his teacher since he was 12. He has no idea what she did to him was wrong. She is joking about whether or not she raped her student. This shows an absolute lack of remorse. Fisler's attorney argued that the state's case, it's not as strong as the prosecution is making it sound. He told the judge those thousands of pages of text messages

they're being taken out of context. In fact, he said they show evidence of sexting, not sexual abuse. I can say to the court that the selective, salacious texts that were recited by the prosecution lack context. Obviously, I'm not here to try the case at this stage, but I can tell the court that many of those texts that were cited

are out of context and without full airing of what proceeded and came after it. And she did address those allegations head on and told them, no, I never had sexual conduct. And all of the texts, when I look at them, can be viewed as sexting in 2023. Whether or not that's a different crime will be aired out, but there is no direct evidence whatsoever of any sexual contact back in 2021,

regarding this deferred complaint. Ms. Finley leaves out also that the complainant engaged or had a lawyer prior to going to the police. So before going to the police, he goes to a lawyer, talks about his options, and there's a potential monetary motive here, Judge. Defense attorney Rocco Ciperone said Fisler voluntarily went to the police when asked, waived her rights, and answered all of the detective's questions,

and that she even agreed to take a polygraph test. But the state also talks about Ms. Fisler's statement to the police. That statement occurred on March 19th of 2026. The state left out that she voluntarily went to the police station when requested to do so, that she was Mirandized, that she had no counsel, that she waived her right to counsel, that she waived her right not to speak to the police, and she gave a full statement and answered all their questions. The defense also pointed out that Fisler has no criminal history.

Siparone argued conditions like electronic monitoring and no contact with minors would address concerns without keeping Ashley Fisler behind bars. So she resides with her husband. She's lifelong judge. The state's evidence leaves something to be desired. It's contextual, selected, salacious texts that will be challenged, that when you look at the context, all of the evidence supports that there is a combination of conditions that will minimize risk of flight, minimize any alleged danger.

There is not this broad-based danger to the community. And certainly there's no indication of obstruction. I'd submit that level two monitoring, Your Honor, with the restrictions on contact with witnesses, and I don't think it's necessary, but if the court wanted to add no-on-supervised contact with minors, that's fine. I don't think it's a necessary condition, but if that makes the court more comfortable as a condition, I don't have an objection to that. The prosecution in the defense, they had one final word on whether Ashley Fistler had obstructed justice.

Just extremely briefly with regard to obstruction. Counsel points out that I did not make any specific notes. Judge, there are texts from this defendant saying that she was blocking the victim's number when her husband had to use her phone. She knew what she was doing was wrong, and she was actively trying to hide that from the person that she was living with and married to. Somehow, there was no indication over the course of years, and as both of us have said, 7,500 pages of...

of text messages that she was texting this child, but she explains that that's because she's blocking his number. And she tells police that she deletes text message threads and text message conversations out of her phone whenever she's done with them because she frequently has affairs. So she's used to deleting those messages and hiding the evidence. So, Your Honor, there is specific evidence of obstruction here. I would just rely on my previous arguments with regard to the other two prongs of the triad. And judge, obviously that's not obstruction. That's hiding affairs from your husband. That's not obstructing justice. There are two completely different things. Even if that's true, Judge, even if those texts were not hyperbole, that's not obstruction. Thank you, Your Honor.

The judge wanted to take some time to decide whether to grant Ashley Fistler bail with conditions or not. So he's taking the night and will issue a decision on Thursday, April 2nd, on whether he will grant bail to Ashley Fisler or not. So for now, Ashley Fisler remains behind bars. That's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Ann Janette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.