Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Teacher Cries, Says She'll 'Throw Up' in Student Sex Arrest Bodycam

Starting point is 00:00:00 Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this law and crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. I don't understand what's going on here. I get it, yeah. You can go grab your things. A special ed teacher taken by surprise when police pick her up to question her for having sex with a student. I go through the arrest of Christina Formella and how things ended like this. Welcome to Crime Fix. I'm Anjanette Levy. I want to tell you really quickly, just a reminder, we are now available on Spotify. You can watch and listen to us there. So check us out. Christina Formella is facing serious charges in Illinois. She's accused of having sex with a boy she was tutoring and coaching in her classroom. I told you about Formella's arrest a couple of weeks ago, and now we're actually seeing video of it. Formella was a soccer coach

Starting point is 00:01:05 and a special ed teacher at South Downers Grove High in Downers Grove, Illinois, outside of Chicago. Downers Grove police pulled her over back on March 16th to have a little chat. They followed her to her driveway. Hey, how you doing? Officer Guzman with Downers Grove. Do you have your license on you? Yes. Tonight? Yeah, I'm going to explain. I'm sure you're confused. I'll explain everything to you. You're Christina? Yes.

Starting point is 00:01:31 Okay, Christina, do me a favor. Can you step out of the car for me? I know you're confused. I'll explain everything to you. You don't have anything on you? You can just grab whatever you need. Whatever I need? Yeah, whatever you need.

Starting point is 00:01:42 Your phone, your purse. Go ahead and grab it. Is she going somewhere? Yeah, we're going to explain everything to you guys. The mother of the boy that Formella is accused of having sex with went to police after the state attorney said she found text messages between her son and Formella on his phone. More on those texts a little later. It's not a shock at all that the mother reported it to police, but Christina Formella, she appears shocked when police approach her. Now back to that video.

Starting point is 00:02:08 I don't understand what's going on here. I get it, yeah. You can go grab your things. Can he come with me? Yes, yes. You stay there for right now, so just stay there, but yes, you can. But come on back here. Should I shut the car off?

Starting point is 00:02:19 Oh, yeah, yeah. Go ahead. It's off. Okay. Sorry, back over here. So, we do have an investigation going on. We have to talk to you about it at the police department, okay? So, we're going to send everything to you there.

Starting point is 00:02:38 It's not my investigation. I don't know the full details. But you have to bring me there, though, okay? So, I do have just put you in handcuffs and bring you to the police department just a downer yes unfortunately yes I'm like willing to go with you I get it yeah unfortunately we have to do it that way let's do me a favor we just take this off can I ask you what of course yeah it's not like I said it's not my investigation obviously we are here for a reason So go ahead and turn around for me.

Starting point is 00:03:15 So right now you're just being detained, and there is a detective that needs to talk to you at the police department. So we'll let, if it's your husband, he can just come to the police department as well if he wants to wait for you there. I'm like, I'm so scared. I get it, you have a lot of questions. Yeah, everything's okay. We just need to talk to you at the police department, that's all. Nothing else on your pocket right now, anything else? Just my phone. Just your phone?

Starting point is 00:03:39 Here. Okay. Okay, all right, I'm sitting back in this car. On the other side. Once you get to the police department, you'll talk to the detective and he'll explain everything to you. But you can't even give me, like, an idea as to what this is about? Other than this investigation, that's all I can really tell you right now. I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you more.

Starting point is 00:04:05 Is he coming with me? We'll let him know right now. I want to tell you about FinanceBuzz.com, which is sponsoring this episode of Crime Fix. Finance Buzz is your expert source for smarter financial decisions, whether it's cutting costs on car insurance, finding the best credit cards, or growing your investments. If you are paying hundreds a month or more for your coverage, then you will want to hear about this. Car insurance rates have nearly doubled in the last few years. How can they keep charging you more and more every year? Here's what to do.

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Starting point is 00:05:17 We're just going to Downer Grove, so 10 minutes away. No, I know, but I really would prefer that my husband's with me. Of course. Am I in trouble? Like, I'm so lost right now. I'm sure you are. Like I said, I can't answer any questions right now. I'll just tell you that right now you're being detained for an investigation. And we're bringing you to the police department. And once you get there, they're going to fill you in with another thing. Norske Lagerforskning ТРЕВОЖНАЯ МУЗЫКА Now, police drive Christina Formella to the police station and detectives will question her there. Remember, I told you this all started

Starting point is 00:07:25 when a teenage boy's mom saw text messages between her son and Formella on his phone. The state attorney said she was setting up his new iPhone when she found these texts between him and an unknown number. The woman's son wrote in one text message, I love you so, so much, mama. The unknown number texted back. I love you so much, baby. Even though this morning was short, it was perfect. The teen messaged back. I know, baby, it was perfect. So perfect. The unknown number then texted. I love having sex with you. The teen responded. I know, baby, I love it so much. It feels so good. It's so passionate. It's so intimate. It's so perfect. Imagine what the mother was thinking when she reads text messages of her underage son and his teacher professing love for one another and explicitly discussing sex that they had in a campus classroom. So the mother, of course, went straight to Downers Grove Police. A petition for Christina Formella's detention stated, according to the teen, he and defendant had developed feelings for each other. The teen said that one morning in December of 2023, before school, he had met up with defendant in her classroom. The teen said that defendant had closed her door, which automatically locked,

Starting point is 00:08:41 that they had started kissing, that he had grabbed her butt and she had grabbed his private parts over the clothes, that she had removed his pants and underwear, that they had removed her leggings and that they had engaged in sexual intercourse while standing up. Downers Grove police picked up Formella and took her to the police department for questioning, of course. Prosecutors say Christina Formella denied having sex with the teenage boy when detectives interviewed her, and she claimed everyone comes after her because she's good looking and she simply cared too much about this teenage boy. When detectives confronted Formella about notes she had written in her phone, prosecutors said she claimed they were an outlet for her anxiety, which was brought on by the teenage boy.

Starting point is 00:09:26 So let's take a look at the notes the state attorney said the detectives found in Christina Formello's phone. An officer said that Formello wrote, I'm not upset. I'm not mad. I'm not any of that. I've just lost interest. I went back and screenshotted every single time that I said we should break up until after the wedding and after you graduated. And every single effing time you came back and convinced me it would be fine. I initiated every single breakup only for you to end things saying you couldn't get over it. You ruined us. I warned you we should have never started dating a long, long effing time ago. And you gaslit me and convinced me it was fine every single time.

Starting point is 00:10:06 Be that's who you are. We will never, ever be together again. I'm not a second choice. I'm the best thing you'll ever have. Even with all of my mistakes, you once again waited and strung me along until it was convenient for you. It broke me last time. This time it changed me. I'm not sad. I'm effing mad that I let a 16 year old F word with me like that. And I made a promise to myself that I never will let any guy F word with me like that again. Now, police said there was a section in Formella's notes entitled manifestations and that it read, the teen is going to reach out to me soon and try to fix things between us. In the meantime, I'm going to live my best life knowing he's not the person I thought he was and that he is beneath me.

Starting point is 00:10:51 Police said they found another note in Formella's phone from November 2024 that read, The teen and I will connect again soon in a positive way. We will both get the closure we need in order to move on in a healthy way. We will be able to be a part of each other's lives forever. We will be in each other's lives forever. We will be able to love each other while also living our own lives. Now, while questioning Formella, the state attorney said Formella denied having sex with the teen, but in the same breath admitted her relationship with him was wrong,

Starting point is 00:11:24 but she couldn't break it off because she cared too much about him. Detectives said Christina Formella had referred to the boy as her stalker and that her husband knew about this, but when they asked her husband about him, he only knew about the boy as a soccer player. Soon the questioning would end. Sure you don't want a tissue or something? I'm feeling I'm going to throw up. A bag? All right. Shauna, can you grab a bag out of there? Hey, can you get like a bag just in case she gets nauseous? Yeah. Christina Formella fears she'll throw up.

Starting point is 00:12:21 She's been interviewed by police, and according to the records that I just read to you, it didn't go well. As she sits in the back of the transport vehicle, the gravity of the situation hits her. Here, please stay with her all the way. Oh my god. Oh my god. What the f***? No. No. No.

Starting point is 00:13:14 No. I'm just going to put it on the floor here, all right? Okay. A few paper towels on the floor here if you need it, all right? Okay. All right. OK, thank you. Christina Formella gets comfortable for the ride to the jail, and it seems to take quite a while. Eventually, she calms down and stops crying. She sits in silence, appearing to think about what's happened, contemplating what's coming next. And then a song comes on the radio. It just seems a little bit ironic that a song about a heartbreaker comes on the radio after everything Formella is alleged to have written in her notes. Eventually, they arrive at the jail.

Starting point is 00:14:22 Christina Formella is booked, and the jail takes this mugshot. She faces one count of aggravated sexual abuse, one count of criminal sexual assault and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Let's take a look at the video of police approaching her just one more time. Hey, how you doing? Officer Guzman with Downers Grove. Do you have your license on you? Yes. Tonight? Yeah, I'm going to explain. I'm sure you're confused. I'll explain everything to you. You're Christina? Yes.

Starting point is 00:14:53 Okay, Christina, do me a favor. Can you step out of the car for me? I know you're confused. I'll explain everything to you. You don't have anything on you? You can just grab whatever you need. Whatever I need? Yeah, whatever you need.

Starting point is 00:15:04 Like your phone, your purse. Go ahead and grab it. Is she going somewhere? Yeah, we're going gonna explain everything to you guys we're just going to downer grove so 10 minutes away no i know but i really would prefer that my husband's with me of courseJR東日本E233系電車 Am I in trouble? Like, I'm so lost right now. I'm sure you are. Like I said, I can't answer any questions. I'm going to tell you that right now you're being detained for an investigation. And we're bringing you to the police department.

Starting point is 00:22:44 And once you get there, they're going to fill you in with a nugget. Norske Lagerforskning Thank you. Thank you. Lagerfeldorskning Storbritannia Norske Råd Thank you. Kjell Kjell Norske Lagerforskning so I'm going to be down. Nå er det en av de fleste stående stående stående i Sverige. Thank you. 5-0-5-2-0. Christina Formella will be back in court on April 14th. And that's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Anjanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me. I'll see you back here next time.

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Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - Teacher Cries, Says She'll 'Throw Up' in Student Sex Arrest Bodycam

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