A mother in Downers Grove, Illinois, stumbles upon unsettling text messages while setting up her teenage son’s new iPhone, using a backup from his iCloud account. Alarmed by the conversation, she decides to take immediate action by going to the police. The texts reveal that her 15-year-old son is discussing an inappropriate relationship with his 30-year-old teacher, Christina Formella, who is married.

The teenager tells the authorities that Coach Formella started sending him flirtatious messages over the school’s chat system after she became his tutor in the autumn of 2023. He describes how their conversations transitioned to texting after she gave him her phone number so they could play a game together.

Records indicate several FaceTime calls between the pair, with the student asserting that their encounters outside of school culminated in an assault in December.

Formella denies raping the boy or having a romantic relationship with him, asserting that she is a “good person” and that “everybody” comes after her because of her looks. She admits to developing a close relationship with the student and claims that she “cares too much about him,” but simultaneously labels him a stalker.

Formella insists she did not send the texts, arguing that her kindness towards the boy allowed him to break into her unattended phone, send the texts to himself, and then delete them from her phone to later use as blackmail.

Joining Nancy Grace today

Additional Guest

• Sydney Sumner – CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter

“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.

[Feature Photo via DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office]