Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Married female teacher lures boy student from Grandma's for SEX . Begs parents not to rat her out!

Episode Date: August 1, 2019

Brittany Zamora lures a 13-year-old student for sex IN and OUT of the classroom, then her lawyers claim she is the victim.With Nancy Grace today to discuss the case: -California Prosecutor Wendy Patrick California Prosecutor- Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Bober- Forensics Experts Joseph Scott Morgan-Retired Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Georgia, Dr. Kris Sperry-12 News KPNX Executive Producer Katie Wilcox Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Principal Timothy Dickey says Zamora worked well with students. It was here at her new job at La Spreza's Academy in the fall of 2017, where police say Zamora, who's married, began to groom one of her students, a 13-year-old boy in her class. In an interview with police, the boy describes the first time they texted over a classroom messaging app, and it started on a day she would be absent from her job. What you're about to hear are the actual words from the boy during a police interview. We've altered the

recording to protect the child's privacy. Before we all left she said, hey guys I'm gonna be at school so if you get bored text me because I'll be really bored. And I said hi Ms. Mora and then she texted back hi and then we just like started texting. The texting goes on that day and beyond and the boy says it turned into flirting. Tell me everything about the flirting. Start at the beginning and walk me through. Tell me everything about the flirting. Start at the beginning and walk me through it so I understand about the flirting. I don't remember how it got like really intense, but we would like flirt and like say like she would like be like, oh, MJ, I love you. And I would tell her I love her too.

And then she would like talking about how she wanted to do stuff with me. And I would tell her that I wanted to do that too. Wow. You are hearing from Channel 12 KPNX. That was reporter Antonia Mayhub. That is a teacher, Zamora, who allegedly begins grooming a 13-year-old little boy. You are hearing the boy talk to police. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us with claims of molesting a 13 year old little boy. Other claims that this teacher who, I mean, if I didn't know better, I would say she's just as cute as a button. She's not too cute anymore. Allegedly

begging the boy's relatives not to rat her out. It only gets worse. Joining you right now, Katie Wilcox from 12 News KPNX, I-Team executive producer, Dave Max syndicated talk show host, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter, forensic expert, professor of forensics, Jacksonville State University and author of Blood Beneath My Feet on Amazon, forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Bober out of the Florida jurisdiction, and renowned California prosecutor, Wendy Patrick, author of Red Flags on Amazon. To Katie Wilcox, 12 News, KPNX. How in the world did this whole thing get started, Katie? So what we know is that it first got started back in the fall of 2017. She sort of, yeah, asked all of her students, hey, text me, you know, I'll be bored. And this, you know, little boy took her up on it and just sent her hi, Ms. Zamora, and everything spiraled out of control from there. What we know is that, you know, ultimately she met up with him outside of school.

Apparently they also had a sexual encounter in the classroom. She had sent him, you know, explicit photos, and obviously you've seen some of the text messages. So it all just sort of started with the text. A former Arizona teacher allegedly having sex with a 13-year-old student. That's not having sex, Wendy Patrick. That's statutory rape. A 13-year-old child.

My children, Wendy, as you well know because you hear it every time we talk, are almost 12. This is one year older than my little babies, who, frankly, still put their tooth under their pillow. I mean, really? And then she begs the boy's father not to call police and rat her out? Has she lost her mind? Yeah, no, you're exactly right, Nancy. You're asking all the right questions. And you also are, I'm glad you pointed this out, is children cannot legally consent. You know, so many times we hear crimes being described as, oh, well, it was a

consensual. It can't be consensual. It cannot be legally consensual if you have a minor. And we're not just talking about a 17-year-old. This is a 13-year-old. So you talk about developmental stage. You are looking at a boy, not a man, not a young adult, but you're looking at a boy. And that's very important when you're analyzing, what are we going to call a crime like this? And that's one of the reasons it's as serious as it is. Take a listen to our friends at Inside Edition. Shocking new details are emerging about a sixth grade teacher accused of having sex with her 13 year old student. Texts allegedly sent to the teen by elementary school teacher Brittany Zamora were just released by prosecutors. OMG lol you cute, baby. I wish you could have stayed after with me, she wrote. He answered, me too. I wish we could just hang out together whenever we wanted. Ah, baby, I know what

you mean. You're all I think about. You will be my wife one day in this crazy life, she wrote back. I'll give you whatever you want, baby. The 27-year-old teacher allegedly met the student for sex on four occasions and sent him nude selfies. Nude selfies. What universe is this happening in? I mean, nude selfies from a teacher to a 13-year-old boy, and that's not all. Listen again to our friends at Channel 12 KPNX. Zamora rushes to talk to him. She started crying utterly.

And she said, you know, I don't know. The only two things I care about in my life are, you know, my husband and my career. So did you ever talk to any parents about the, the rumors? I, I didn't, and I didn't, I didn't want to blow it up. A week after crying to her principal, Brittany Zamora would ask the boy to sneak out of his grandparents' home for sex act. Because while Principal Dickey was looking into the matter, so were the boy's parents. Okay, let me understand something. You were hearing from reporter Antonia Meja, but joining me right now is the ITM executive producer from 12 News KPNX, Katie Wilcox.

Let me understand the scenario. So rumors are circulating around the school, and it gets to the principal. She goes to him and begs for her job, claiming all she cares about is her job and her husband. But according to KPNX, one week after the begging to the principal, she's sneaking the little boy out of his grandparents' house for sex? Exactly. That's what, you know, as far as all the police reports show us, yeah, we know that the principal received these first reports February 7th, and she is messaging this little boy to come outside of his grandparents' house on February 16th. So possibly, I mean, we don't know this, and this is part of an ongoing lawsuit against the school district. If there had been more intervention, possibly this little boy might not have been abused. It looks like, yeah, the first actual sexual encounter occurred on February 16th,

more than a week after the principal first signed up the allegations. You know, Katie Wilcox, joining me, 12 News, KPNX, ITEM executive producer. I'm just finishing the manuscript on a nonfiction book called Don't Be a Victim, Fighting Back Against America's Crime Wave. One of the chapters deals with keeping your children safe at school. And I dealt, I researched and talked to the parents about a case where this was happening in the school, and the school had been informed by students, by a janitor, by others, and nothing was done. And it went on and on and on with very disastrous results. Long story short, at what point does the school say, you're on suspension until I can figure out what happened? But what we know is a 13-year-old little boy was sneaked out of his house by his teacher for sex. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

Screenshots of their chat show they were explicit. In one of them, Zamora talks about wanting to quit her job and have sex with a boy all day. The interaction between the 27-year-old teacher and 13-year-old boy is so intense, students started to notice and reported it to the school principal in February of 2018. Like I had those three students come forward in early February. Okay. They gave me a written statement and I just I started investigating principal Timothy Dickey, the man who recruited Zamora because of his high regard for her teaching skills. Now looking into sordid rumors, I pulled multiple students and asked some questions and didn't really get a lot of information. I got a lot of, you know, that she favors him. He gets away with more things than

other kids. I was getting consistent stories from all of them. These are rumors. Kids shouldn't be saying these things. This could affect your career. It's the same type of thing. Kids spread rumors and kids say things, and it's kind of common as an administrator, and that's typically what it ends up being. You know what I mean? Well, hold on just a moment. Joining me, Katie Wilcox, 12 News KPNX ITEM Executive Producer. So students are coming forward to the principal at the beginning of February. This says three students. Okay. Of course, he has to investigate it. For all I know, she was just favoring a student and that's all it was. But then she comes forward and begs for her job, saying that's all she cares about. At what point did they suspend

her or dismiss her? And does the sex with the boy go on during that time? No, there wasn't that sort of suspension or dismissal. There was this sort of preliminary, you know, what the school district has called an investigation, but they didn't report it to police and she wasn't, you know, let go. There wasn't more investigation into the phone records. So she's not, you know, dismissed or not coming back to school until she's arrested in in late march and during that time the boy is molested and during that time the boy is molested um inside the classroom and outside the classroom take a listen to our friend antonia mayha at 12 kpnx another sexual encounter happened on campus in her classroom after a school talent show. like you want to go in? I was like sure and then like the same thing I didn't take my pants off or anything but she was wearing a dress so she just pulled her underwears to the side and then I was

in there for like a minute and then I was like I don't know I was like all right I gotta go. I was one of the witnesses or one of the people that saw Ms. Amora and my friend And my friends touch each other. Was Mr. Morris saying anything? No, they're just doing it. It was very uncomfortable. So that's why the second day they're doing stuff, I just left the room. Well, I'm doing a backflip right here because these children are the age of my twins. And I don't know if you could understand that because it's distorted on purpose to kind of hide the victim's voice.

But the little boy is describing to police how Zamora, the teacher, lured the little boy into sex acts at school. Police then interview another student who witnessed them, quote, doing it. Insofar as to say he was posted as a, quote, lookout. A lookout. So a teacher could have sex with a 13-year-old child and then got so freaked out by what was happening, he left the room. Katie Wilcox, KPNX, am I understanding? Could I hear that correctly? What were they saying? Yeah, that's exactly what they were saying. Antonia Mejia is the reporter on that. And it was tough because, again, we are trying to respect the victim's privacy. So I know it was tough to listen to. But yeah, one little boy says basically that Miss Zamora moved aside her underwear and, you know, asked him to penetrate her while another little boy was standing lookout. And that other little boy has also, you know, told us that she had shown him pictures and asked him about his genitals, whether they were circumcised or uncircumcised,

and possibly was grooming him as well. So it looks like possibly there could have been more than one victim. That second little boy, you know, did not say that she ever took it to the same length, obviously, as the 13-year-old boy. But, yeah, he was in the room, apparently. Well, you're absolutely right about there being a second alleged victim. Listen to this. 12k PNX. The second boy would detail an inappropriate encounter that he also had with Zamora. And Ms. Zamora asked me if my thing was

uncircumcised or circumcised, and I't know what that means so Mrs. Zamora went on her phone and looked up uncircumcised and circumcised. He says Zamora never went beyond inappropriate remarks with him. She hasn't touched me. You know I just feel like crying and I'll tell you why. I think I need to shrink. Dr. Daniel Bober, forensic psychiatrist with me right now out of the Florida jurisdiction. Dr. Bober, I mean, I watch what the twins watch on TV. They are into the office right now. I have to, like, fast forward every 45 seconds. But I watch the movies.

I have Bark, you know, the on-screen reporter sentinel telling me whenever a dirty word shows up on what they're watching on kids' YouTube. I mean, and then they go to school, and this kind of thing happens. And there were rumblings to the principal, apparently for a period of weeks, and nothing was done. And the boy kept being molested. I mean, that, I mean, that's what's alleged. I got to see what really happened. I mean, I feel like I can't fight back against all of this. I don't, I'm just, I feel, I feel really upset. You know, Nancy, you know, it's, it's obviously much more rare for females to be the perpetrators in these types of situations, usually the male perpetrators. But, I mean, this woman is just so mentally ill. She's a predator.

Is that supposed to matter to me, Dr. Bober? Do I care if it's a man or a woman molesting my child? You know, I've got boy-girl twins. So that really did not persuade me at all, Dr. Bober. Sorry, Nancy. What I meant to say is that this teacher is a predator, and she's really mentally ill. And the fact that it's a betrayal of trust on such a deep level, it's just, I cringe when I hear that little boy in the interview. It's terrible. With me, forensics expert, professor of forensics, Jacksonville State University,

author of Blood Beneath My Feet on Amazon, Joseph Scott Morgan. Okay, how am I going to prove this thing? I mean, my guess is there may be other victims. How do you go about proving a case like this? Nancy, you know, sometimes we'll talk about cases. You and I have talked about hundreds now. And we might just have a teaspoon of forensic evidence. In this particular case, we've got a dump truck load. She has left a digital signature that is so vast in this particular case, and it's not just the text, Nancy. It is also these photographs, because the defense in a case like this would have to be able to explain away how a child came into possession of images of this grown woman nude and how they were exposed to this.

She is, this is damnable evidence relative to her and her relationship, if you want to call it a relationship, between these children that she's charged with. So charged with violating. And I think that it is almost going to be insurmountable from that perspective. Now, going back to what Dr. Bober had said, you know, they, you know, from an evidentiary standpoint, they might try to dismiss all of this stuff and say that she's mentally ill in some way. I don't know. But just the physical evidence itself is overwhelming.

Well, isn't it true to Katie Wilcox, 12 News, KPNX, that she was actually texting him on the school app? Now, see, I wouldn't know in the past what a school app is, but the twins got a Chromebook for them to use, and they have a school email of sorts and you are not supposed to put anything private or text each other or email each other like hey let's have a play date on the school app it's strictly for homework and notifications were they actually using the school app for sexting they were using the school app um class craft is what it was called. And yeah, you know, I'm even just pulling up some of the notes that him some of the more, you know, the nude photos, like we mentioned. And some of the more explicit messages mostly came, I think, through Instagram. But, yeah, they did use Classcraft, an in-school app. And that's kind of where this all started. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. of sexual conduct with a minor and other reduced charges. Salon in dangerous crime against children.

The former teacher from Arizona was supposed to go to trial, but changed her plea. Do you wish to plead guilty to each of these charges? Yes. The 28 year old spoke softly and cried in court while wearing an orange prison jumpsuit. She was accused of having sex with her 13-year-old student. Police released notes they say were passed between the two of them.

You are sexy, red one. A former assistant principal who worked with Zamora at a different school spoke to Inside Edition's Stephen Fabian. Did that surprise you to learn that she's now accused of having this sexual relationship? I'm not too surprised. I always wondered about it. Christina Alvarez said Zamora didn't keep enough distance from her students. She was very friendly and hands-on with the boys from the sports that she coached. They would kind of hang on her shoulder and hang on her back, put their arm around her. You're hearing our friends at Inside

Edition, the teacher, Brittany Zamora, pleads guilty, but don't fall for any in-court theatrics or claims of being sorry, because immediately after that guilty plea, this goes down. Listen. Reporters were waiting for a press conference that Zamora's lawyer and family called and when they arrived any sense of remorse went out the window. Brittany is not a predator and this was not between a young child and Brittany. This was a teenager. The teenager had boundary issues and was obsessed with Brittany. The teenage boy was very aggressive. He even was very persistent in asking Brittany about her birthmarks, molars, or anything else that could be an identifiable piece of information. The attorney also indicating their belief the sixth grader's family was after money. The teenage family's attorneys filed the civil suit within hours

of the issue coming to light to the police department. Well, I'm so mad I could chew a nail in half. That was from our friends at KPNX. That was William Pitts reporting. So right after she pleads guilty and acts all pitiful in front of the judge, her team goes out on the front of the courthouse steps and blames the boy victim and his family. There's more. Zamora's lawyer read a statement she said britney zamora wrote that never mentioned remorse or guilt i feel like i was used as a publicity act to gain attention that was often driven by money motivation from several parties this coming weeks after zamora pleaded guilty an hour after she begged for mercy during sentencing. Zamora's lawyer then said she would take no questions.

Are you guys really blaming a 13-year-old boy as a victim in this case? That's not what I said. Are you honestly saying that Brittany was the victim? You just got to read that and walk away. Now, we also checked that claim that the lawsuit was filed within hours. Zamora was arrested in March of 2018. The victim's lawyer says he filed the notice of claim in August. The actual lawsuit wasn't filed until around the first of this year.

Of all things, to Wendy Patrick, California prosecutor, I'm so mad I could chew a nail in half right now. To think that this woman would go park her car and get this little boy to sneak out of his grandparents' house and have sex with her. And now she and her team are claiming it's all because the boy's family wanted money. I tell you what, I think they ought to slap a tampering with witness charge on her for going to the boy's father and asking them to, quote, explain to me, can we meet to talk about this? Can we settle outside, quote, those are her quotes, begging the boy's father not to take this case to court. That's called witness tampering in my book. Yeah, Nancy, it's very unfortunate

the things we're hearing. And that's the understatement of the day. This is abhorrent and the chewing the nail in half. I love the visual there. You're absolutely right. That's the reaction we have when we listen to the words that we've heard. Victim blaming, even though listening to that, much less hearing an example like this, really just viscerally, it's so hard to hear. It's so hard to listen to. And especially when we're talking not about a teenager, but about a 13-year-old boy. And this is one of the things that we do hear in cases like this, where that is the reaction sometimes unsuccessfully from the defense to say, oh, well, it takes two to tango. No, no, no, not when we have a 13-year-old boy. Listen to this, 12k PNX. Dickey takes notes about the

students' concerns. Everyone talks about them having an inappropriate relationship outside of class and at recess. I've heard other kids in my class say that they think they are dating. The day after, Principal Dickey addresses the students in Zamora's class. The first thing I did was that I commended the three students that came to me and gave me a written statement. I didn't specifically give names, but I said those students that came to me did the right thing. However, the students that are spreading rumors and talking amongst each other, that doesn't help anybody and that doesn't lead to any solutions. Since all this has come out, like some of them were blaming him and couldn't wrap their head around the fact that she's, you know, that can't be his fault. The 28-year-old teacher convicted of three felony charges,

sex conduct with a minor, molestation of a child, and public sexual indecency. I mean, I'm thinking back on my teachers, Ms. Willis, Ms. Annabelle Bryant, Ms. Holt, Ms. Amerson, all these teachers, to think of going in the classroom and seeing one of them pulling their underwear to the side so a kid could have sex with her in the classroom. I mean, Dr. Daniel Bober, forensic psychiatrist, is scarring me just bringing that image up in my mind. Every one of these teachers sat on the pew behind me at church every Sunday. I mean, no way. And now, what are these people thinking, Dr. Bober? And don't start

with me about impulse control. It's hard to discuss this with you without bringing up impulse control. But I have to tell you, I think the impulse control you have to be talking about is the teacher. I mean, it's interesting to me that the attorney could say that the child has no boundaries when the obligation is on the teacher to have boundaries. It just, it's unbelievable. It really is. Listen. According to police, there were at least four encounters between Zamora and her student that were, quote, sexual in nature.

The first time we kissed, like like I was saying bye to her and I gave her a hug and she's like started kissing me so I kissed her back. The boy says Amora would call him in the middle of the night and twice snuck out and met her in her car for sex acts. Yeah we're like texting and then we and then like I we were like texting and then I told her that I was at my grandparent's house and she said let me come over I said I said lol and then I told her that I was at my grandparents house and she said let me come over I said I said lol and then it was like like laughing and I felt hurt you know she's and she's like no I'm serious and I was like okay but before that we called what for so she came over and I went into her car though like she parked at the other end of the street and she said okay

I'm here and then I just walked outside. Crime stories with Nancy Grace. What type of perverted person are you? I want to know right now. A father demanding a response from his son's 6th grade teacher. You're a child molester. Do you understand me? Um, why do you say that? Oh, gee, I'm a lot smarter than you. Can we meet, you know, to talk about this?

We can settle, you know, outside. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah yeah that's what we can do So I can give you a chance to do it to some other kid Yeah that's exactly what we're gonna do That's exactly, no Make sure you tell your husband what's going on He is right here can he talk to you? Oh yeah put your husband on the phone

She's done so much And she made a huge mistake The biggest mistake anybody could ever make in a whole entire world. But she think about, you know, God, God preaches forgiveness, man. Your wife decided to be a monster and prey on a child. She scarred my son mentally. For do you understand what a 13 year old boy did? Have sex with a teacher?

Do you get that at all? Do me a favor. Do not call this number back again. The next time you'll hear from me will be in court. Wow. You are hearing from Channel 12 KPNX. That is a teacher, Brittany Zamora, who allegedly begins grooming a 13-year-old little boy. You are hearing from Channel 12 KPNX. That was reporter Antonia Mayhub. That is a teacher, Zamora. To Joseph Scott Morgan, professor of forensics, Jacksonville State University, and author of Blood Beneath My Feet on Amazon. Now, that certainly makes me want to read it,

but I don't know about everybody else, Blood Beneath My Fe feet. Now, Joe Scott Morgan, let me talk to you about evidence because the woman has pled guilty. But I tell you this, Joe Scott Morgan, there is a treasure trove of evidence for a civil lawsuit and them going out on the courthouse steps and blaming the victim. I want you to take a listen to this. Brittany is not a predator. And this was not between a young child and Brittany. This was a teenager. The teenager had boundary issues and was obsessed with Brittany. The teenage boy was very aggressive. He even was very persistent in asking Brittany about her birthmarks, molars, or anything else that could be an identifiable piece of information. The teenage family's attorneys filed the civil suit within hours of the issue coming to light to the police department. Oh, my stars.

That little scenario is going to be plaintiff's exhibit number one. Not only to do the deed, she's pled guilty. It's not a question as to whether she molested the little boy. She's pled guilty under oath. But then to rub salt in the wound by going on the courthouse steps and claiming it was his fault, tampering with a witness. This is a huge civil lawsuit, and it's going to be leveled against not only the teacher's family, but the school district. Yeah, yeah, it is, Nancy. And we're talking about civil court, where obviously the measure is the preponderance of the evidence. And I don't know who this attorney is that's speaking on her behalf, but sometimes it's just pure wisdom to keep your mouth shut as opposed to saying anything at all.

That she would step out in front of this thing on behalf of her client like this, I think, is damning in and of itself. And yeah, we've already got this confession on her part, pleading guilty and going back to this treasure trove of evidence that connects her to everything. It almost seems like they're just attempting to throw a Hail Mary pass at this point and just say, listen, where we're going to, you know, smear the name of a 13-year-old child, which is just abhorrent. To Katie Wilcox, 12 News KPNX I-Team executive producer who has covered this from the beginning. I know it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth to even talk about it, Katie. But I want people to know,

I want parents to know what can go on at school. Katie, where does the whole thing stand right now? How long does it appear that the principal knew these rumors were afoot until she was finally arrested? So there is an ongoing civil lawsuit. And the last thing that we've been able to really see as far as civil lawsuit goes is the school district responded to the allegations that, you know, they failed to report in a timely fashion. They failed to protect their students. They said, you know, that they took these initial reports from students as rumors, and they didn't think, and they still do not believe, that the rumors rose to the level of mandatory reporting statutes. So they're still saying that there was no wrongdoing on the school's part. Obviously, that case is ongoing. There are a lot of people who think that they did not take these allegations seriously enough, and that is a

problem. So that's going to still play out in court. After, you know, after the sentencing hearing, when Bernice Zamora's lawyer came out and spoke that way that she did, I would say in the newsroom, there's a lot of things that we prepare for. There's a lot of things that we expect to hear, and this was not one of them. And I think you could hear that in Will's questions as she tries to walk out the door after, yeah, clearly blaming the 13-year-old boy for what happened to him. We wait as justice unfolds. This is an iHeart Podcast.