Sex Scandal Teacher Told Teen She’d Use a Sperm Donor to Get Pregnant, Begs For More Freedom

Summary

Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield Episode: Sex Scandal Teacher Begs for More Freedom - Even with 55 Felonies and an Ankle Monitor
Release Date: July 8, 2025

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield, host Ashleigh Banfield delves into the unsettling case of Christina Formella, a suburban Chicago teacher accused of an extensive sexual misconduct scandal involving her 14-year-old student. With 55 felony charges and an ankle monitor strapped to her, Christina's case has become a focal point of discussions around teacher misconduct, public perception, and the justice system's handling of such allegations.

Background of the Case

Christina Formella, once a well-regarded teacher and coach, found herself at the center of a massive scandal when initial charges of molesting a 14-year-old student quickly escalated. Originally facing a single charge, prosecutors unveiled hundreds, eventually over 50, instances of sexual assault spanning school hours and even extending into her personal home.

Notable Quote:

“If Christina Formella had never said those words and their allegations, at this point, I'm still dying to see the video of the interrogation where this allegedly happened.”
— Ashley Banfield [01:04]

Recent Developments

On July 2nd, Christina appeared in court with her husband, Michael, showcasing a unified family front despite the mounting charges. The couple, holding hands and maintaining stoic expressions, presented a facade of solidarity as they confronted the legal challenges ahead. Christina's initial arrest on March 15th led to a bail arrangement that included a GPS monitor, allowing her home release under strict conditions.

Notable Quote:

“The audacity just absolutely blows my mind.”
— Abby Escobar [07:37]

Interview with Abby Escobar

Abby Escobar, known as Abby Blabby on TikTok, provides firsthand reporting from the court proceedings. She highlights the dramatic walk into the courthouse, capturing the tense atmosphere and Christina's composed demeanor despite the grave allegations.

Notable Quote:

“She didn't seem confused. She seemed genuinely scared.”
— Ashleigh Banfield [01:04]

Examination of Prosecutorial Evidence

Prosecutors have amassed a substantial digital footprint against Christina, including thousands of text messages between her and the victim. These messages allegedly detail coercive tactics, such as threatening to leave her husband for the student and discussing explicit content. Additional evidence includes identifiable markings on Christina's body and a tattoo unknown to police until referenced by the victim.

Notable Quote:

“She told him that if he couldn't be the father of her children, she would have no other choice than to choose a sperm donor.”
— Abby Escobar [14:01]

Defense and Family Statements

The Formella family has publicly defended Christina, issuing statements that suggest misogyny in the public's harsh scrutiny of female defendants. They argue that the focus on Christina’s appearance detracts from the legal facts of the case.

Notable Quote:

“The public shaming of women accused of sexual misconduct reflects deeply embedded patterns of misogyny.”
— Formella Family Spokesperson [22:15]

Societal Perspectives and Misogyny

Ashleigh and Abby discuss the double standards in how male and female perpetrators are perceived. While male educators accused of similar crimes face overwhelming public condemnation, Christina's case has sparked debates about bias and the role of appearance in public outrage.

Notable Quote:

“If it was a man doing this to a woman, the punishment and scrutiny would be overwhelming.”
— Abby Escobar [27:32]

Victim's Silence and Psychological Factors

A perplexing aspect of the case is the lack of widespread rumors or disclosures from the victim, despite the extensive nature of the allegations. The hosts speculate on possible reasons, including the victim's potential internalization of guilt and fear of repercussions.

Notable Quote:

“He grabbed my phone and sent the texts himself.”
— Abby Escobar [19:04]

Ramifications if Guilty

Should Christina be found guilty of all charges, she faces a maximum of 60 years in prison, effectively ensuring a life sentence. Beyond incarceration, her professional credentials are now nullified, ending her career in education and irreparably altering her future.

Notable Quote:

“She has a master's degree, she's an educator, she's lost her teaching license.”
— Abby Escobar [48:40]

Conclusion and Future Outlook

As the case against Christina Formella continues to unfold, the upcoming hearing on August 4th is poised to reveal further incriminating evidence. Ashleigh Banfield emphasizes the complexity of the case, acknowledging the significant digital evidence presented by prosecutors while also highlighting the defensive stance taken by Christina and her family.

Notable Quote:

“The truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead serious.”
— Ashleigh Banfield [50:20]

Listeners are left contemplating the broader implications of this case on trust within educational environments, the influence of gender biases in legal judgments, and the profound impact on all parties involved.

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Connect with Abby Blabby:
Follow Abby Escobar (Abby Blabby) on TikTok for ongoing updates and insights into the Christina Formella case and other true crime stories.

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Thank you for tuning into this intense and thought-provoking episode of Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield. Stay informed and engaged as we continue to follow this and other critical stories every Thursday.

Transcript

[Abby Escobar]

Michael, were you aware of those 52 new charges? How do you feel? How do you feel knowing she was sneaking this child into your home and hiding any evidence? And hiding any evidence of you being there so she could r a P e him 50 times? Christina, anything you want to say? Every story has two sides. Why would you accept Michael's proposal? Michael, just why are you still with her? Anything you want to say? She said she was going to take your family for millions and then be with this child after he graduated high school. And you're still going to be here to support her and hold her hand. Christina, why did you tell a child that if he couldn't get you pregnant, you would get a sperm donor? Because it was him or nobody while you're married.

[Ashley Banfield]

Hi everybody, I'm Ashley Banfield and welcome to Drop Dead Serious. I didn't know what to think when I saw the headline about a pretty young teacher from suburban Chicago who told the police that she was so pretty people attacked her all the time. And that was because she'd just been arrested and charged with molesting and sexually assaulting one of her 14 year old students. If Christina Formella had never said those words and their allegations, at this point, I'm still dying to see the video of the interrogation where this allegedly happened. But if Christina Formella had allegedly never said those words yet you and I might not know the name Christina Formella because that's why headlines were launched about this young teacher who has now become this massive story. And when I say massive, I mean massive because of multiple alleged infractions. One day Christina Formella was driving along with her husband and they were pulled over by the police. And the police asked Christina to step out of the vehicle. She seemed genuinely flummoxed and couldn't understand why. And they suddenly arrested her and she didn't tell her why. And down to the station she went in the back of the cruiser and the video really started to tell the story when her knees came up and she began to weep in the back of the cruiser. Now, you and I, if we were put in the back of a cruiser and we had absolutely no reason to be in there, I'm not so sure that we'd put our knees up to our chests and weep. We'd be like incensed, you know, demanding answers, like, what is going on? Completely confused. Not Christina Formella. She didn't seem confused. She seemed genuinely scared. Af. And that was just the beginning because at the time she was about to be charged with like one instance of sex in the high school with this 14 year old student of hers. And when they interviewed the student whose mother had found his cell phone texts, allegedly with Christina Formella, his teacher and coach, he admitted to just one instance in a classroom. Allegedly. But a little more investigation later, and according to prosecutors, hundreds if not thousands of texts later, suddenly Christina Formella was charged with 50 plus instances of sexually assaulting this kid at the school, allegedly during school hours, allegedly even at her home that she shares with her fairly new husband. Yeah, married. She was 28 years old at the time of the alleged attacks. Now she's 30. And there is a unified friend. They come to court hand in hand, that husband of hers and Christina. And it's all just a little shocking. The most recent hearing was on July 2nd. Let me go back. The instance of the arrest was March 15. On June 17, she was told, you're going to be on a GPS monitor, you lucky girl, you're getting out. You don't have to sit, you know, in a jail cell awaiting trial. You get bail. But GPS monitor. And July 2, she went back to court. She did not like the conditions of the restrictive home monitoring. You're all, you're going to hear all about it and why I find it shocking because jail cells suck. Being out in the open is great in any way you can get it. But Christina Formella did not like the restrictions on her home monitoring. So off to court she went hand in hand with her husband. And Abby Escobar, who on TikTok is known as Abby Blabby, was there rolling video and caught the whole walk of shame from the vehicle all the way down this very long, embarrassing and awkward walkway to the courthouse front doors. So I called Abby Blabby. I said, we've got to talk. Abby. Abby. Oh, my Lord. Like, it couldn't have gotten crazier, but it got crazier.

[Abby Escobar]

It did. Yes. I feel like it keeps getting crazier.

[Ashley Banfield]

So the last I saw, and tell me if this, if there's been something since, but the last I saw, you are walking into court with Christina Formella and her husband and you're sort of saying like, what the actual.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah, yeah. Now, I was not planning on going that hard, but my adrenaline was high. And honestly, I, I was really surprised to see Michael walking beside her, holding her hand. So I think that made my adrenaline get a little bit higher and then the questions just started spilling out all the way until she was in the door.

[Ashley Banfield]

So talk to me about this, like the mood as you're walking along, because you know, for the viewer on your TikTok, we're seeing this absolute stone face stare straight ahead, both Christina and her husband and some big guy, I think, who was trying to block your view.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah, I think he was. Yeah, I think, I think. Don't quote me on this, but he might have been that family spokesperson that people are starting to talk about. At first I was like, who is this guy? I wasn't sure if he was like a Teemu bodyguard or what, but yeah, I, I think he's the, the family spokesperson, so.

[Ashley Banfield]

But he sure wasn't talking in that video.

[Abby Escobar]

Well, he, when I was, when I was asking her questions, he turned around and said, please respect the process. That's all he said, huh?

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah, well, the process is you got charged and.

[Abby Escobar]

Right.

[Ashley Banfield]

That's a public, that's a public process, you know.

[Abby Escobar]

Absolutely. I mean, she didn't respect the process when she was doing what she was allegedly doing, so.

[Ashley Banfield]

Allegedly.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah, yeah. So I just kept asking questions.

[Ashley Banfield]

So, okay, this appearance that I wasn't expecting it. I had originally covered the story when it was, I think two or three charges. Right. The boy, the 14 year old ledged victim said it had only happened once. And he went into great detail in the charging document with what happened in the classroom, very explicit, but the one time, and he swore up and down it was only the one time.

[Abby Escobar]

Right.

[Ashley Banfield]

And then, shazam. All of a sudden there's 50 plus more charges that are added and she's marching back into court because she wants something.

[Abby Escobar]

I could, I could not believe the audacity. I mean, she's very lucky that the judge didn't agree to lock her up until the trial. And then just weeks after that hearing, when all of this new information comes, comes out to the public, you know, you're gonna ask for the judge's conditions to be modified because you want to be in the comfort of your own home. Like the audacity just absolutely blows my mind.

[Ashley Banfield]

So they were walking into court stone faced, staring straight ahead with, you know, 50 some odd charges that are staring them down.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. You know, and at the previous hearing, I was completely expecting Michael to be there with her and, and the family and everybody else. But after that June 17 hearing, I really didn't think that the family, especially the, the Formella family. Right. I didn't think that they were going to continue supporting her the way that they did. But then to find out that There are now 55 total felony charges for, you know, criminal sexual assault, the abuse, the solicitation of a minor in grooming, like, all kinds of things. Because, you know, before that it was believed, like you said, to be an isolated incident, but then to find out all of these things and that it was happening over the course of, like, two years, and there's now all of these charges and, you know, they're continuing to support her, but she does just have this very stone cold look on her face when she walks in. She almost looks kind of down. She will not make eye contact with anybody. And then even after she leaves the judges stand, when she turns around, she still has that look on her face. Just very flat, like, almost tense. I noticed when she was walking up, I mean, you could almost see like. Like in her neck. You could just see how tensed up she was. How many.

[Ashley Banfield]

How many other journalists were there with you? Like, how many other cameras were in her face?

[Abby Escobar]

Well, at June 7th, at the June 17th hearing or the July 2nd, this.

[Ashley Banfield]

Latest one, when she had her top knot and the long straight hair with the black and the white outfit.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. So there were. Oh, boy. Maybe four or five. Yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

I think it's daunting, right? You're not. You're not in the public eye. It's weird. Suddenly everybody's surrounding you with cameras and asking questions. And so I don't know whether this is an accurate assessment, but when I watched the body cam, I looked at someone who genuinely seemed flummoxed and had no idea why she was being pulled out of the car by the police.

[Abby Escobar]

Right. And that's what I initially thought, too, because the text messages that his mother found were from December of 2023, and now it's, you know, mid March 2025. So I'm like, she. She has no clue because it was almost a year and a half prior. But come to find out, she had to have known because the prosecutor said at that June 17 hearing that just a few days before her arrest, she was actually emailing the victim from a school computer because he had gotten into a fight at school and his cell phone got stolen in that fight. And that particular device had evidence of what was going on on it. So you think she would have been terrified, like, oh, my God, his cell phone is gone. I mean, of course she was telling him to delete everything, but, you know, you think she would have been a nervous wreck. But she still emailed him to ask about the fight, make sure he was okay. And then just a couple days after that, she's getting pulled over. So I. I think she had every idea.

[Ashley Banfield]

They're all allegations until they're proven in court. But did she say anything in that email about, hey, that phone that got taken in your fight, is it the phone with the stuff with you and me, or did she make a reference?

[Abby Escobar]

I don't know. They didn't mention that at the hearing. They just said that he had gotten into a fight. The phone was stolen. It said the device did have evidence of the sexual assault on it. She knew the phone was gone. That's why she chose to email him. But she said it was just to check on him and make sure he was okay, and nothing different was said. So I think that's all that the email was.

[Ashley Banfield]

But who knows when the court hearing started after the walk of hell, you know, like, with you asking all those questions, and it's like, get rid of those front doors. It had to be 100 yards. When the court hearing started, what did you learn that you didn't know was about to happen?

[Abby Escobar]

So many things. They had gone through cell phones, I think, of both Christina and the victim and whoever else. They said there are hundreds, if not thousands of text messages and different things in there. They found photos she had sent the victim allegedly sent the victim several photos and videos, including one where she was masturbating to him and saying his name and then asking for him to send the same thing in return.

[Ashley Banfield]

Like, it's the allegation that he did.

[Abby Escobar]

They didn't say otherwise. I mean, I would kind of assume that he did, but they. They didn't say either way. They also said one of those.

[Ashley Banfield]

One of those actions is so much more egregious than the other. I mean, it's bad when you're sending. Allegedly sending porn to a child, but then demanding that that child perform and, you know, use the telecommunications airways to. To reciprocate, you know, and there are. There are additional charges for those kinds of things, but maybe we'll learn more if this goes to trial. But what else did they say about. I mean, I think there were like a thousand or hundreds or thousands. They said they never got specific, these prosecutors, but more messages than you and I could read in a day.

[Abby Escobar]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. They found a text message, and I actually wrote it down word for word what the prosecutor said it. Let me find it here. She said she even discussed with him, wanting to have children, and she told him that if he couldn't be the father of her children, she would have no other choice than to choose a sperm donor, because in her words, it's you or nothing. Now, imagine how her husband felt hearing that.

[Ashley Banfield]

And. And yet he shows up, you know, for court with her and holds her hand.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. And they found text messages where she told him that she was going to marry him and get millions from him in the family. And then after he graduated high school, they would be together. And I think that's why the allegation.

[Ashley Banfield]

Is she'd marry the husband, this fancy Italian wedding, and then divorce him and take him for millions. And then she could be together with the boy after he graduates high school, which is, what, in two more years?

[Abby Escobar]

No, he's going into his senior year right now.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, but this is a year and a half ago, so if she's saying it back then.

[Abby Escobar]

So let me see.

[Ashley Banfield]

I mean, enough. Enough that it's, like, gonna be a. Gonna be a while till you get the cap and gown.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. When she sent that message. Yes. Yep.

[Ashley Banfield]

Can you imagine?

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. So she. She obviously planned on that going on for quite a while.

[Ashley Banfield]

Were there any other messages that really stood out to you that were read out, like, because they haven't read all 1000 or multiple thousands. They. They've just read a couple to, you know, paint the picture for the judge enough to get this kind of a pretrial custody arrangement.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. So they talked about finding text messages between Christina and the victim where they discuss almost getting caught at school by a teacher, where they discuss almost getting caught by her own husband, because one of the times she was planning on sneaking him over to the house, Michael unexpectedly came home from work, so she had to push it back. Like, you think that would have scared her enough that she would have been like, oh, my God, like, my husband.

[Ashley Banfield]

Almost isn't allegedly over at the house yet. But. But Michael comes home early, and she's got to be like, maybe don't come over now. It's not a good time.

[Abby Escobar]

Yes. Yes. And then Michael goes back to work, and then come on over. And then she had him over. She wasn't even.

[Ashley Banfield]

Allegedly.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah, yeah. She wasn't even scared that he might come home and catch them in that.

[Ashley Banfield]

It's almost as though, if I'm looking at the psychology, if these allegations are true, that the her. That the brazenness built upon being successful for many months, you know, in a row. Ultimately, I've got this. I've got this down. I figured it out. I'm invincible.

[Abby Escobar]

Yep. And they also found text messages where she allegedly, you know, told him that a neighbor had just gotten busted recently for doing the same thing, and she's so scared. And there was a text message where she allegedly told the victim that Michael was Actually having an affair with her best friend, and he was going to run off to Colorado to be with that best friend. Now, I personally don't believe any of that is true. They said that in order to gain complete control over the victim, she fabricated all of these stories. Stories along the way to make sure he wouldn't leave her such a messy.

[Ashley Banfield]

Messy, you know, set of facts. And again, they're all allegations at this point, but in the business of law, you call them bad facts. If you're the defense attorney. Before I get to the. The. The hearing that was most recent where you. You walked. You did the walk with her. The walk of shame almost, that, you know, she's getting peppered with all these questions and staring straight ahead in her fabulous outfit. Black and white with the long hair all tied up in the bun in the top.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. In the wide pants to hide her GPS monitor.

[Ashley Banfield]

Oh, that's right. The GPS monitor would be under the wide pants.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah. Good observation. So the. Has she. Has she at least asserted any kind of defense like her? Have her attorney stood up in court and given some kind of an excuse or some kind of a hint of a defense?

[Abby Escobar]

So far, not that I've heard. I. I honestly don't know what their plan would be. I mean, because the digital footprint, according to the prosecutor, I mean, it sounds like it is huge. Tons of stuff. I mean, almost two years. They said that she began grooming him just months after he started high school, his freshman year.

[Ashley Banfield]

Oh, it's gonna be hard. I mean, if they. If what they say is true and they've got hundreds, if not thousands. I wish they'd be more specific. There's such a difference between hundreds and thousands, but.

[Abby Escobar]

Right.

[Ashley Banfield]

Get it. They. They speak in colloquial terms in court. It's never that precise, you know, in these pretrial hearings. So I understand it. But if what they say is true, it's pretty hard to say. He grabbed my phone and sent the texts himself. Because wasn't that the original comment that she made to the police when they first interrogated her about this?

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah, she said that he had taken her phone, he put in her password, and he sent the messages to himself, you know, pretending to be her. And, you know, for a while there, I was like, it's possible.

[Ashley Banfield]

I mean, one or two, maybe.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

But then come to, you know, let's just say 10, but not. Yeah, not hundreds and thousands.

[Abby Escobar]

Right. And they allegedly found evidence that she was texting him while she was in Italy for her wedding.

[Ashley Banfield]

Oh, at the wedding. I have to just show you while we're talking. My mom is visiting and she's got this brand new puppy dog. She just climbed up on my. She just climbed up on my knee and. And the cameras probably shook a little. So while the Atlas cam is in full board, this is the. This is the Kelty cam for a moment.

[Abby Escobar]

She's a little sweetie.

[Ashley Banfield]

Hi, buddy. Sweet girl. Okay.

[Abby Escobar]

Oh, my gosh.

[Ashley Banfield]

So she can go Atlas cam for a little bit. There you go, sweetheart. She's very, very tiny. So. All right, back to Christina Formella. The. The comment that came from the family. I was, I was actually, I gotta be honest, I was quite surprised at this one. I'm gonna read it. This is what they gave to People magazine. It was a spokesperson for Christina Formella's family. This is what they said to People magazine. I know we've said, I know you've probably seen this, but for the public, quote, the public shaming of women accused of sexual misconduct reflects deeply embedded patterns of misogyny that have persisted across generations. Christina has become the latest target of this troubling phenomenon. Subjected to relentless personal attacks and sexist scrutiny that ignore the legal process entirely. The statement went on to say, this isn't just a double standard. It's a spectacle, a public ritual that punishes women for not for what they've done, but for how they're perceived. Instead of discussing facts or law, public discourse fixates on Christina's appearance, her private life, even her lipstick, as if those details bear on guilt or innocence. That's not legal analysis. It's voyeurism, moral judgment and cruelty excused by a self serving professor. Performance of concern for an alleged victim. So many things that I want to address there. Yeah, let's start with this. I agree with them a little bit about one thing, and that is that oftentimes women who become defendants do receive a higher level of cruelty and scrutiny. Like Karen Reed. You know, what did those police officers say in their text message? They talked about her butthole, they talked about her accent. They were horrible things that. They called her a C, where they did all that. That was awful. And that is standard. Right? You do see that a lot in this particular case. I think they're misguided because if I'm not mistaken, it was Christina herself who started that, who got the headlines. Because the allegation is, is that she told police. People always just, you know, attack me because I'm beautiful.

[Abby Escobar]

Right? Yep. So they're circling back to that. And, you know, I think part of the reason why it's that way regarding women is because, you know, women from a social standpoint, like, we're expected to be kind and soft and gentle and motherly. So I think about. I think when you hear about a woman doing something like this, it. It's just absolutely shocking, especially a woman who seems to have everything. I mean, you sit here and the.

[Ashley Banfield]

Trend is also usually that, that women are attracted to older men, even if just by a year or two or three or five, not 10 or 15 years younger, to the point where they're children. That, that is rare. It's the Mary Kay Letourneau story just keeps coming back to mind endlessly. It was just, it was mystifying. She had all these children at home and a husband and, you know, Vili Folau was in like, I think he was 11 when she may have begun teaching him. And it just doesn't. It just defies logic.

[Abby Escobar]

Right. I don't think, you know, they're focusing on the fact that she's good looking. But, you know, we hear more and more stories of these adult women sexually assaulting and abusing these boys. And honestly, a lot of them are very pretty. A lot of them are good looking.

[Ashley Banfield]

I've seen it a lot. I've seen a lot of teachers over the years who are extraordinarily pretty and they get caught up in the same kind of, you know, criminal patterns that Christina Formella is facing right now is being alleged to have committed. The thing about Christina, though, is that I don't think you and I would be talking right now. I don't think the headlines would have just, you know, gone nuclear if Christina hadn't allegedly said those words. People only attack me because I'm so pretty. It would have been just another one of those cases that, you know, gets a headline, then goes away.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah, I agree. Yeah. I think that statement really rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, including myself.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah, well. And guess what? You and I probably saw that statement around the same time. And it was when I'm not going to say the word only in the way that people would find it offensive. I'm going to say it only with regard to numbers, when she was only facing one or two charges. You know, that comment came out later when it was up to 50 plus, you know, that the story got really big. But again, I'm not sure that people would have remembered to cover that story at the time she was hit with the multiple charges afterwards had she not allegedly said these things to the police. I'm too pretty and that's why I get bothered.

[Abby Escobar]

Right. Yeah. There's so much more into what makes this case particularly intriguing. And as big as it is, it isn't obviously just because she's pretty. There's.

[Ashley Banfield]

There's been lots of those.

[Abby Escobar]

A lot of those. Yeah. And a lot of them are married, you know, and have kids. I think for me, what makes this so intriguing of a case is that she seemingly had everything. And when you have everything, then you have everything to lose. You know, they got married on the Amalfi coast in Italy, which I'm sure I'll never get to go to in my whole life, let alone get married there, you know, and then they honeymooned in Paris, France. You know, they had this very luxurious, extravagant life. It seemed, you know, a ton of friends, you know, they were bridesmaids and groomsmen and friends, weddings. And they just seem to have a really amazing life, you know. Yeah, they just got married on June 22nd of 2024. So, you know, they should have been celebrating their one year anniversary and maybe starting to, you know, talk about, you know, having a family or something. But instead, this is what's going on.

[Ashley Banfield]

I know. I, I still, I'm going to get back to what gives with going into court with her hand in hand with all these bad facts. Again, they're allegations, but in the business they're called bad facts that you have to surmount as a defense attorney. But before I do that, I want to go back to this statement that the family gave because there's something else to it that I think they neglect to mention, and that is that if Christina Formella were a man, it has been said over and over again that the punishment and the scrutiny against a man doing this to a young girl would be overwhelming. Meaning people would say, if it was me, I'd have gotten out the shotgun, I'd have gone after him with a shotgun. If he came after my daughter like that, I'd have gunned him down in the school hallway and I'd have happily served life. It's very different when Mary Kayla Truno was, you know, when her case was being adjudicated over and over again. Yeah, people, people said, and some still do. Oh, lucky kid. Whoa. If I was a boy in school and I got a girl, I got a teacher looking like that, I'd be, I'd consider it a bonus that that's typically the reaction when it's a pretty teacher and a 14 year old boy. Flip it and it becomes the most sinister crike. It becomes epstein. It becomes Epstein. So I think the family gets it, gets it wrong when they say that she's, you know, subjected to an unreasonable level of scrutiny.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. And that is such a true statement. You know, I make my TikTok videos and a lot of the comments are men saying things like what you just said. Man, I wish she would have been my teacher. No, man, why didn't I have those teachers growing up? Oh, the kid's so lucky. I wish I was him and all this stuff. But you're right, if it was a man doing this to a girl, it would be completely different. And honestly, I think if this was a male who had done all of this to a teenage girl, I don't think he'd even be out. I think he would be sitting in jail waiting for his trial.

[Ashley Banfield]

Right. I think you're right. It's. It's Epstein. That's, that's what Epstein did.

[Abby Escobar]

Yes.

[Ashley Banfield]

He was an older man who went after high school girls. Now, he wasn't their teacher, but it's interesting you say that when you think about all the comments that you've been getting. Can you think of any comments that even dared to come close to the notion of a mother out there saying, wow, I, I mean, I wish that I had a good looking teacher when I was in high school. Right. Did you get any comments like that?

[Abby Escobar]

No. And actually, I have made tick tock videos about male teachers that have done these types of things to girls. And there's, there's never anything like that there. There's nothing. You know, girls aren't like, oh, man, I wish he was my teacher when I was a high school girl. I mean, there, there's.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, you know what it goes back to, and you're, you're younger, a heck of a lot younger than I am. But, you know, I remember in high school, the metric by which girls were judged was if they were sluts, but the metric by which boys were judged was whether they were studs. And it meant the exact same thing. Did you tag anybody? And then you're judged, you know, accordingly? And I don't, I don't. I think there's a bit of that today. You know, I think it's a lot less. But I still sense that most people look at young girls or teenage girls as being violated if it's somebody older. Yeah, not so much with, with a boy. And the truth is, the psychology just does not bear that out. I mean, it is traumatic for a boy to be with an older woman. And it's not a score. It's not a score.

[Abby Escobar]

And at one of the court hearings, I believe it was the June 17th one, the prosecutor said that this boy has been led to feel shame and guilt and like all of this is his fault. And the fact that when the text messages were found and they first went to the police department, reported it, and he said, oh, no, no. It only happened the one time in December of 2023. I feel kind of like he had to admit that because the text messages were pretty bold. Right. But he didn't lay it all out at that point, like, oh, yeah, this has been going on for two years. Like, I think he was trying to protect her.

[Ashley Banfield]

I wonder that.

[Abby Escobar]

What?

[Ashley Banfield]

Don't you tell me that. Do you. I couldn't figure out if he was trying to protect her. Again, all allegations, or if he was so embarrassed and so ashamed, didn't want to get in trouble from his parents.

[Abby Escobar]

That might be it too. Absolutely. A little bit of both. Yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

I wondered.

[Abby Escobar]

But I do know that a lot of the information they have were based off of statements that he eventually told them, and then they were able. Able to corroborate his statements with the text messages. So he did end up, according to the prosecutor, opening up and telling them all kinds of things. And they did say at this recent hearing that they do plan on speaking with him again.

[Ashley Banfield]

Oof. Do you think his parents are going to allow it?

[Abby Escobar]

I don't know. I. I cannot even imagine how his mother feels. I have a teenage son. He's 18. I, I just.

[Ashley Banfield]

Me too. I have an 18 year old and I have an almost 20 year old. And I think about it, you know, in those terms like, boy, oh boy. I think in, you know, 9th, 10th and 11th grade, they were babies.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. Yep. And, you know, that's part of the reason why I don't understand. Well, let me, let me switch sides to the Formella family. This is part of the reason why I don't understand the Formella family continuing to support her because the Formella mother, Kathy, I believe is her name, at one point, Michael was a teenage boy. So you would think that she would be like, oh, my God, like, what would I have done if one of Michael's teachers were doing this to him? You know, I, I don't think she would have supported that teacher.

[Ashley Banfield]

But here's something, though. The Formellas put out that statement. What about Christina's family? Has there been boo from them? You know, I assume that's her maiden name. Right. Because, you know, she's got a. This is her married Name. She's got a maiden name. I have not heard a statement yet. Maybe I've just missed it. I haven't even heard family. I would have expected this to be from her family, but not his, right?

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. No, I think they've kind of laid low as far as statements. I don't know if you, if you saw in my video or from the other night, but at the court hearing on July 2, either Christina's father or Michael's father told me to shut up when I said that the Farmella family deserves better than him. Or when the, when I said the Formella family deserves better than her, one of the men, in an aggressive tone, told me to shut up. And then I turned and looked, and Christina's father was looking right at me, so I would assume it to be him. But they were all standing there together like one big family outside of the courtroom. And I just thought, what do you mean?

[Ashley Banfield]

It is perplexing. And I, I, look, I, I have been, I've been wrong on slam dunk stories and cases before where the person was so incredibly like Brian Coburger. Guilty, right?

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

Before judgment, and then even after judgment, they were judged guilty. And I was all in on the guy being guilty and then discovered he wasn't. And so I am chastened in a way that I still want to believe. What could possibly be the defense here? Yeah, because like you said, there's just a mountain of digital and, and you, you can explain away one or two or three or five, but, but it is really hard to explain away a year or a year and a half or two years worth of communications. It's just too hard to plant. Were there any other witnesses that can add to this case other than texts that have been discovered, allegedly by the alleged victim's mother, Was there anything else that sort of bolsters the case for the prosecutors?

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. So at the June 17 hearing, they found texts where Christina and the victim were discussing that at one of the times when he was over at her house, as he was either coming or going in the backyard, a neighbor apparently saw him and confronted Christina about it. Like, hey, why is this boy in your backyard? You know, I don't know how she got out of it or, or if anybody pass it along to Michael, like, hey, I saw this kid walking through your backyard.

[Ashley Banfield]

You know, I wouldn't, as a neighbor, I wouldn't think anything of it. I think, oh, a student's coming over for tutoring, or, oh, a boy is coming over to say, can I cut the grass? I Have a lawn mowing business or, oh, I'm delivering papers. There might be some reason why a boy would come up to your door. The last thing you would think is, are you having sex with the lady inside?

[Abby Escobar]

Right, right. That is true. That is true. Yeah. And it was in the backyard. So you're right. She very well could have said, oh, well, you know, we've been thinking about hiring somebody to cut the yard or something. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, depending on what time of the year it was, of course.

[Ashley Banfield]

Right, right. So now let's skip ahead to the. To the long walk of shame and the hearing. You know, there's. There's hubris, and then there's hubris. Christina has been told by a judge that she's got a. She's got to wear an ankle monitor, and she's got to stay away from the places where this alleged victim lives, works, and even, I think, visits his friends, et cetera. And I think you mentioned earlier that Christina realized, oh, heavens, I gotta move out of my house because it's too close to some of those areas. Tell me a little bit about the perimeter itself and what she wanted to fight when she came back to court most recently.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah, so the day that the judge ordered the GPS ankle monitor, he also ordered.

[Ashley Banfield]

She.

[Abby Escobar]

The judge is a female. She also ordered that Christina have to stay 5,000ft away from him. And then, like you said, his place of employment, his residence, the school, and then come to find out the house that she shares with Michael is within 5,000ft of where the victim works. So because of that, she had to pack her bags, she had to move out of the house. And she's been living with her parents. Well, they said that she would like to move back home to the comfort of her, you know, her husband and all of her belongings. And so the defense filed this petition to try to get it modified.

[Ashley Banfield]

How much? Like, by how big. How big a perimeter?

[Abby Escobar]

Down to 2500. Now, to. To put that in perspective, 5000ft is already less than a mile. So they wanted. Yeah, they wanted to cut it down to, like, just under half a mile.

[Ashley Banfield]

1550 of what it was. What was the response from the prosecutors?

[Abby Escobar]

Well, the prosecutor was like, yeah, she was like, you ordered this as a way to keep her out of jail. And, you know, you even said that she is a threat to the victim. And the original judge back in March also thought she was a threat to the victim. So, of course, they argued that it should not be modified at all. And the judge was pretty quick to agree with that. So she told the defense, I am respectfully denying your motion. It's going to stay the way it is, 5,000ft.

[Ashley Banfield]

So were there any other details that came out in that, in that court hearing?

[Abby Escobar]

No, not at that one. And then the next one's going to be on August 1st 4th. So I don't know if more details will come out then, because I do know that they're still going through more texts, you know, and Snapchats and all of that stuff. So there very well may be more things brought to the surface at the 8-4-1.

[Ashley Banfield]

So listen, unified front walking in, that was, that was like epic and heroic that you kept pace and kept the questions going. But once they got inside, did. Did that, did that unified front you know, continue? Like, I mean, did they sit together? But didn't she have to sit up at defense table? I mean, what happened?

[Abby Escobar]

No, so they all sit together towards the back. I think there are eight rows in that courtroom. And they always sit like in row seven. I mean, they're pretty much in the back. They all sit together and then they call her name and she goes up to the bench and, you know, they talk about whatever needs to be talked about, and then she turns around and then they leave.

[Ashley Banfield]

So she doesn't have to sit at the fence table with her back, her back to her family?

[Abby Escobar]

No, no, not while she waits. She sits in the chair right there with everybody else. And then they call her name, then.

[Ashley Banfield]

She goes up and does she sit right beside her husband? And are they still holding hands in court?

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. So it was interesting at this one, it was Randy Formella, Michael Christina, Christina's mom. And as I turned around and looked, she was kind of turned towards her mom and her mom was holding her hand.

[Ashley Banfield]

Thank goodness. Now at least we're hearing there's some support there from the. From the parents. From her parents, yeah. That side of the family.

[Abby Escobar]

Yep. And then after the hearing, like I said, they were all standing together right outside of the courtroom like one big family in support of her.

[Ashley Banfield]

Did. I mean, it's hard to say. It's hard to know because, you know, these children who are alleged victims of this kind of abuse, they don't. They're anonymous, so it's hard to know. But did you see a 14 year old or a 16 year old? I mean, I think he's about 15 and a half or 16 now. Did you see a teenager in there at any point?

[Abby Escobar]

Not at this one. I didn't see anything. Any. Any team there. Everybody was a grown adult from what I saw.

[Ashley Banfield]

Did anyone seem to be. It's a bit of a parlor game, but did anyone seem to be sitting within, you know, sort of whisper shot of the prosecutors? I'm just wondering if his mom or his dad or some representative of his.

[Abby Escobar]

Family was there with the prosecutor. No. So they sit in a separate area. There's like, there's the room. There's the. There's the area of the room where everybody can sit, and then there's another one where all the attorneys sit together, and then there's where the judge is. So everything's kind of divided a little bit.

[Ashley Banfield]

So there's like, on this side is the, you know, Christina Formella's family support, and on that side is prosecutors and whoever, you know, who's ever the, you know, with the victim's side of things, the alleged victim side of things. But it didn't appear that. It didn't appear that the boys family members were there?

[Abby Escobar]

Nope. I didn't. I didn't see them this time.

[Ashley Banfield]

They may very well be trying to keep under the radar because it's bad enough. I'm sure every. What's the story with the. With the boy? Are there whispers and rumors all over the school because kids aren't very good at keeping secrets?

[Abby Escobar]

No, everybody's talking about it. I've been contacted by so many Downers Grove south teachers, students, all kinds of people. Everybody is talking about this, what they.

[Ashley Banfield]

Say to you when they contact, what they say.

[Abby Escobar]

Just all kinds of stuff, you know, I can't believe it. Holy cow. You know, everybody's talking about this. Nobody saw it come in. She was very well liked, she was nice, she was outgoing, she was friendly. But then on the opposite side, I've gotten a lot of messages from people saying that she was stuck up, she was rude, she very clearly favored the boys and not the girls, that she was manipulative, that she was like an ass kisser. I mean, I've heard all kinds of stuff both ways.

[Ashley Banfield]

Did you hear anybody sing? Oh, yeah. I knew it all along. And let me tell you a couple other things. Like, did anybody have stories where they were in the know and wanted to share?

[Abby Escobar]

No. It sounds like everybody is in. Com in complete shock about this. Now, I had received a few messages from people probably a couple months ago stating that the victim got his cell phone stolen during a fight and that's why he had to get a new one. But that's really all I've heard. Nobody has said that they. They knew or they had a feeling like this was going on nothing like that. And, you know, it just makes me think had had the victim not gotten into that fight and gotten his cell phone stolen, the mom never would have had to have ordered him another one. So she never would have been linking that new phone to the icloud. She never would have seen those text messages. And I bet nobody would have a clue who Christina Framella even was.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, the allegations are. It's over a year and a half ago, so, you know, everybody might have thought. Anybody who did know might have thought that's in the past, and it is gonna stay buried as a ghost. And I wonder how many teachers and kids are walking among us and even grown adults who were kids at one point who've got that. That ghost in their closet, that skeleton.

[Abby Escobar]

Who have gotten away with it. They just never got caught. Yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah. I would dare say a lot more than the ones that have been caught, I'm sure.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. I think that's another thing that makes this case so intriguing, was that she almost got away with it, allegedly.

[Ashley Banfield]

But I will say this. It's just. I find it shocking because boys, especially that age, are braggadocious about sex. And if they can do something like that, even though it is abuse, they're. They're so unlikely to keep it quiet. They're so unlikely not to have told someone who told someone who got in a fight with someone and told everyone.

[Abby Escobar]

Right.

[Ashley Banfield]

And that doesn't seem to be the case. There's, from what your perspective is that the rumor mill wasn't rampant with these. Because these acts allegedly happened 45 times on school property during class time, even.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. Yeah. You know, it makes me think. It makes me wonder if he truly believed that he loved her. And so maybe he chose not to say anything to anybody because he didn't want to risk her getting in trouble. I mean, maybe he knew.

[Ashley Banfield]

He.

[Abby Escobar]

Maybe he's heard about what happens to these women who get caught doing these things, and he didn't ever want that for her. They said that she was.

[Ashley Banfield]

She.

[Abby Escobar]

She manipulated him to the extreme and made him feel comfortable and made him feel like he was special and that, you know, he trusted her. And I just wonder if he. If he felt like he loved her, and so maybe there was some sense that he needed to protect her and. And not risk anybody finding out. Because you're right. Usually teenage boys are like, hey, guess what I did. You know, but.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, at least, you know, you think about teenage girls, they at least tell their best friend they've got to share it with someone. And I Can't imagine that boys are so different that they don't want to at least share. Like, I am so freaked out by the weirdness of this. I just kind of need to bounce it off you because I don't know if this is right or just great or just awful or so illegal or all the above or none of the above. Am I special? Am I not? There's just all these questions that a kid, by the way, a kid who's probably going through puberty and trying to figure out his body to start with.

[Abby Escobar]

Oh, absolutely.

[Ashley Banfield]

Now he's got all these very adults questions flying through his mind and no one to bounce it off of, except maybe her allegedly hurt. What about other evidence? Like just other evidence that's corroborative or informative that supports whatever digital evidence they've got.

[Abby Escobar]

Yeah. So they did say that he was able to identify certain markings on her body. I actually have it written down somewhere here.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah, I mean, you might see something on a leg, and that would be okay. In shorts at the gym. She's a soccer coach, but yeah, she.

[Abby Escobar]

Had a spot on. I know one of her butt cheeks, I think, on her chest. So some private areas that he was able to properly identify, including a tattoo that according to the prosecutor, when he. When he mentioned this tattoo, the police allegedly said to him, well, we didn't know of any tattoos that she has. And he was like, well, she has it. And come to find out, she did have that tattoo.

[Ashley Banfield]

So. Okay, I'm gonna. I'm play the devil's advocate here. If I'm a defense attorney, I'm going to say, well, you know, Christina has a private life and she has an only fans, or she, you know, or she has a Facebook or she has an Instagram, or she's told her friends and her friends have told others, and it's a rumor about her tattoo on her left breast. You know, I would say that's. That's information that could have gotten out there that he could have somehow been privy to without having seen it personally. It's a. It's a long reach, but hey, absolutely. We just thought Diddy get off.

[Abby Escobar]

Right. And you know, in. In a criminal case, the prosecutor has to convince 12 people. The defense, they have to convince one.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, for a hung jury, but then, you know, but.

[Abby Escobar]

But at least not to get a guilty verdict, you know, you have to convince one person.

[Ashley Banfield]

Right. And there's one. There's one born every day. Okay. So then the other thing I just wanted to ask about was the. The overall, like, the overall ramifications for this. What is if she's found guilty of all of it, what is she facing? Like, she's in her late 20s, I think.

[Abby Escobar]

No, she's in her 30s. I mean, her. Earl. I think she's either 30 or 31. I think she's 30. But she faces up to 60 years if she's six zero. Yeah. Yep. If found guilty, six zero years. So that would put her at 90. So. So essentially, she could spend the rest of her life in prison if she's found guilty.

[Ashley Banfield]

And then you wonder, what kind of person is she, you know, in state. In state, you know, sentencing, typically a lot of different permutations and combinations, state to state, but you serve somewhere around one sixth of your sentence, and if you're good behavior, you get the Paris Hilton in one day and out the next.

[Abby Escobar]

You know, that's very true. Especially.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah, I doubt that she would. She would stay until 90. But at 70, 60 years, woof, you're looking at, you know, 20 if you're not the best inmate. And, you know, if you are the best inmate, 10, 15 if you really. I mean, that's 10 15. And then you've got hearings, parole hearings, and those parents of the alleged victim would have to be on board to make that a smoother process. So, you know, it's not a guarantee that you get. All right.

[Abby Escobar]

And it's not just that. You know, Christina Farmella has a master's degree, she's an educator, she's lost her teaching license. So, I mean, essentially, she has no more career in education. I mean, if she goes to prison, no matter how many years she were to spend behind bars, I mean, her life would be completely different when she got out.

[Ashley Banfield]

Ignorance is no excuse for breaking laws. Right, but we know, based on, you know, alleged evidence that has been. That's been asserted in court, that there was this fear of being caught because it happened to someone else, and she knew it was wrong, and she knew that someone else was doing something wrong. So whatever the details that come out around that, I mean, if she's got a text saying, we got to be quiet because that guy has this charge and he's going to prison, I mean, those are the. That's consciousness of guilt and. Absolutely.

[Abby Escobar]

Like. Like what she told him about the neighborhood.

[Ashley Banfield]

What's that?

[Abby Escobar]

Like. Like what she told the victim about the neighbor getting caught. And, you know, the neighbor's facing all of these things now, and she allegedly told the victim that she was so scared, so she knew what could happen. But, you know, she didn't care.

[Ashley Banfield]

And then you're a master. She's got master's degrees from university. It ain't like she's a dummy.

[Abby Escobar]

Right.

[Ashley Banfield]

So, yeah, it's confounding. It certainly gives us a lot to talk about. But I was very interested in the Formella statement because there was a lot of truth to it. But then a lot of just, I don't know, willful blindness. It felt like where they put it out on the media for how dare you cover this when the first statement out there was the headline I'm too beautiful. And again, I would like to see the actual quote. I'd like to see the video interview where she says that. Because it can be misconstrued. But if it was said that's on her, that would not be on anybody else for generating those headlines. This might have gone right under the radar and been another one of those teachers that we. We forget their names.

[Abby Escobar]

Absolutely.

[Ashley Banfield]

Abby Blabby, you're such a great guest and thank you for doing this. Come back again and let's talk. Right.

[Abby Escobar]

Yep. And I'm going. I already requested the day off work.

[Ashley Banfield]

But then you can come work and be on with me.

[Abby Escobar]

Yes, yes.

[Ashley Banfield]

Thanks for doing this again. Big thanks to Abby Blabby for spending that time with me to talk about all the things that she's come to learn in the case against Christina Formelli. You can find Abby Blabby on Tik Tok. Again, it's Abby Escobar, but she goes by Abby Blabby. And she is on this story again August 4th. We'll be following this with Abby Blabby, but for now, thank you so much for listening. I'm so appreciative that you're part of this community. And remember, the truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead serious.