Latest news with #DamianConti
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Live updates from day 3 of ex-SouthTech teacher Damian Conti's sex abuse trial
WEST PALM BEACH — Prosecutors continue to present their case against a former SouthTech Academy teacher accused of sexually abusing his student and aiding her suicide attempt. Damian Conti, 37, maintains that his relationship with the 16-year-old was never sexual. He turned down 10- and 25-year plea offers ahead of this week's trial, opting instead to risk the 65-year maximum he faces if jurors convict him as charged. The trial began Tuesday and is expected to last through Monday. Prosecutors have called several witnesses to testify, including a classmate who discovered explicit texts Conti sent the teen, and a Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy who informed Conti that the girl's suicide attempt failed. He "didn't appear to like" that, the deputy said Thursday. Day 1 updates: Student describes gifts, grooming and daily sex abuse at ex-SouthTech teacher's trial The lengthiest and most graphic testimony came from the student who said Conti groomed, isolated and sexually abused her almost daily during the 2023-24 school year. She remained composed throughout her two-day time on the witness stand but collapsed and wept once it concluded. Jurors, dismissed from the courtroom minutes earlier, did not see her fall. Once prosecutors rest their case, Conti's team of public defenders will begin presenting their own. Assistant Public Defender Lily Boehmer has begun to portray the girl not only as a willing participant but as an instigator of the relationship Conti maintains was strictly emotional. "They pushed the boundary, but they never crossed it," Boehmer said Tuesday. Lewd text messages prosecutors read aloud Thursday suggested otherwise. Follow along for updates throughout Friday's proceedings. Day 2 updates: Jury hears texts sent from SouthTech teacher Damian Conti to student This story will update. Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@ Help support our journalism and subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Live updates: Day 3 of Damian Conti's student sex abuse trial begins
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Live updates from day 2 of ex-SouthTech teacher Damian Conti's sex abuse trial
WEST PALM BEACH — Jurors returned to court Thursday to hear more testimony in the criminal trial of ex-teacher Damian Conti. Accused of sexually abusing his student and aiding her suicide attempt, Conti, 37, faces up to 65 years in state prison. The teen, revived last year after deputies found her hanging from a noose, testified Tuesday that her SouthTech Academy teacher sexually abused her daily during the 2023-24 school year, often in the back seat of her mother's car. Conti maintains his relationship with the 16-year-old was never sexual. "They pushed the boundary," Assistant Public Defender Lily Boehmer said during her opening statement. "But they never crossed it." Boehmer will resume her cross examination of the teen, who testified from 11:30 a.m. until nearly 3 p.m. Tuesday. Follow along for live updates throughout Thursday's proceedings. Missed day 1? Student recalls daily abuse, suicide attempt on first day of Damian Conti's trial The girl returned to the witness stand Thursday in the same high heels she wore Tuesday. Conti didn't like when she wore heels, she testified earlier. He preferred pigtails, no makeup and flats — anything that didn't make her look like a woman. Boehmer began her cross-examination by dissecting the teen's lunch habits. Prosecutors accused Conti on Tuesday of isolating the teen, preying on her alone in his classroom during the girl's lunch period while her classmates ate elsewhere. Boehmer described it instead as a mutual arrangement. 'Mr. Conti is a good cook? And you're a picky eater?' she asked the teen. 'Yes,' the girl responded. 'You both mutually agreed that it was unnecessary for you to continue making lunches for yourself?' It was his idea, the girl said. But she agreed: The decision was mutual. Boehmer moved next to the driving lessons Conti gave the girl, and the summer job he encouraged her to apply for. Prosecutors discussed these Tuesday as Conti's tactics to isolate the teen and monopolize her time, but Boehmer framed them in a different light. 'Your response was 'Hell yeah,' " she said, reading aloud from the girl's texts when Conti asked if she wanted the job. The girl agreed. Under Florida law, the age of consent is 18. Those who are 16 and 17 can legally consent only to a partner younger than 24. Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Live updates: Day 2 of Damian Conti's student sex abuse trial begins
International Business Times
24-04-2025
- International Business Times
Florida Teacher Who Sexually Assaulted a Student, Made Suicide Pact with Victim and Helped Her Buy Rope to Hang Herself
SouthTech Academy teacher Damian Conti accused of having sex with a teen student is facing additional charged after investigators found he also made a suicide pact with the 16-year-old girl and helped her pick out a rope to hang herself. As reported by The Palm Beach Post, Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies found the teenager hanging from a tree behind a church less than an hour later. Fortunately, deputies cut the rope and resuscitated her before rushing her to the St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where she later recovered. Conti Accompanied the Student to Hardware Store, Helped Her Pick Out Rope, Chain to Commit Suicide Conti, 36, who was originally charged with several counts of unlawful sexual activity with a child, now faces an additional count of attempting to assist in self-murder. Prosecutors added the charge on April 16. Conti has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. Conti was seen accompanying the student to a Home Depot near Lake Worth Beach as she picked out 30 feet of rope and 15 feet of chain. She told an employee she was building a tree house. She told Conti it was for the both of them to commit suicide. Hours later, the girl was in the emergency room. Intubated and comatose, she appeared in such grave condition that a deputy said her mother nearly fainted when she saw her. Conti Groomed the Teen, Then Sexually Assaulted Her in Parking Lots, Classroom and In-Storage Closets on Campus According to investigators, Conti began communicating with the student over school email, text and Instagram in August 2023. He then started meeting the after school hours near her locker, gave her driving lessons, visited her at work and even offered to be her academic mentor. He gave her gifts and encouraged her to join the volleyball club he coached. Not long after, investigators say he had begun creating excuses to remove her from volleyball practice and take her into his classroom alone. The student said he confided in her about his work and home life and encouraged her to vent her own frustrations. The girl said Conti told her he "liked her" in October 2023. She said he then began to assault her sexually, first in a shopping plaza parking lot and then in his classroom and in storage closets on SouthTech's campus in Boynton Beach. Both Conti and the girl told deputies that their last sexual encounter occurred on Feb. 5, 2024 — the same day as his wedding anniversary, according to the divorce paperwork his wife filed three weeks later. Investigators Found Thousands of Explicit Messages Between Conti and the Student In addition to his admission of performing sex acts on the girl, investigators uncovered thousands of messages between the teacher and student — many of which the lawyers said contained "highly inappropriate and/or explicit sexual content." During a hearing in October, prosecutors offered the former teacher a chance to plead guilty in exchange for a 25-year prison sentence — a fraction of the penalty he'll face if he maintains his innocence and is convicted at trial. Conti rejected the offer. He rejected a 10-year offer before that one, too. His refusal put his case on track for a jury trial scheduled to begin June 23.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
Girl told SouthTech teacher she wanted to kill herself. He let her buy the rope to do it.
This story contains descriptions of an attempted suicide and child sexual abuse that readers may find disturbing. WEST PALM BEACH — Investigators say the SouthTech Academy teacher accused of having sex with a student did more than groom and abuse her. According to court records, he also made a suicide pact with the 16-year-old girl and accompanied her to a hardware store where she picked out a rope to hang herself. Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies found the teenager hanging from a tree behind a church less than an hour later. The girl's attorney, Victoria Mesa-Estrada, said deputies cut the rope and resuscitated her before taking her to the pediatric intensive care unit of St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where she slowly recovered. 'We're not only talking about a sexual predator, but someone who aided and abetted her suicide attempt,' Mesa-Estrada said. "She committed suicide. She's alive by miracle." Damian Conti's arrest: Former SouthTech charter teacher faces charges of inappropriate relationship with student Initially charged with several counts of unlawful sexual activity with a child, former AP English teacher Damian Conti, 36, now faces an additional count of attempting to assist in self-murder. Prosecutors added the charge on April 16, months after suggesting in an email to Conti's attorney that an attempted murder charge may be pending. "This case is much more than just the sexual abuse of a minor by a teacher," Assistant State Attorney Alexa Ruggiero told Assistant Public Defender Lily Boehmer in an email made public this month. "Some of the most upsetting evidence includes the defendant taking this young girl to the store to buy materials to end her life." There is other evidence "to corroborate his involvement with her attempted suicide," Ruggiero said. Conti, who was seen accompanying the student as she picked out 30 feet of rope and 15 feet of chain, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. The Greenacres man is represented by the Office of the Public Defender, which, as a policy, does not comment on open cases. According to investigators, Conti began communicating with the student over school email, text and Instagram in August 2023. He offered to serve as the girl's academic mentor and created after-school meetups near her locker, where he greeted her every day. Attorneys for the girl's family said he gave her driving lessons and met her at Starbucks for coffee. He sometimes visited her where she worked, his 4-year-old son in tow. He gave her gifts and encouraged her to join the volleyball club he coached. By the end of the first quarter, investigators say he had begun creating excuses to remove her from volleyball practice and take her into his classroom alone. The student said he confided in her about his work and home life and encouraged her to vent her own frustrations. As their trust deepened, he began sharing intimate secrets about his marriage and sex life. The girl said Conti told her he "liked her" in October 2023. She said he then began to assault her sexually — first in a shopping plaza parking lot and then in his classroom and in storage closets on SouthTech's campus in Boynton Beach. Under Florida law, the age of consent is 18. Those who are 16 and 17 can legally consent only to a partner younger than 24. Lawsuit: SouthTech school officials turned blind eye to teacher's sexual abuse of student Conti's behavior, flagrant enough to start rumors among students, earned an emailed warning from a school administrator in January 2024, according to school records. "I want to remind you that you should not be transporting students in your car," assistant principal Erin Kurtz wrote, after a video of the girl stepping into Conti's car began to circulate on TikTok. "If you are transporting them for a field trip, the appropriate paperwork should be on file and there should always be a minimum of 3 people." According to court records, Conti told the girl that Kurtz had questioned him about inappropriate conduct with a different teen girl the year before. The student said he bragged about how quickly he'd convinced the assistant principal that the accusations were unfounded, then continued to assault her in secret. Both Conti and the girl told deputies that their last sexual encounter occurred on Feb. 5, 2024 — the same day as his wedding anniversary, according to the divorce paperwork his wife filed three weeks later. On Feb. 6, 2024, a classmate who shared access to one of the girl's online accounts said he wanted to 'mess with her' by logging into her Instagram and messaging her from it. It was also a chance to see whether she was 'talking smack' about him to friends, he said. 'Lo and behold, she was talking smack about me,' he told a deputy. The boy said he scrolled through her conversations during his first-period class and noticed one 'curious' message after another, between the student and an account appearing to belong to Conti. The boy took screenshots and shared them with school administrators. Eileen Turenne, SouthTech's then-principal, suspended Conti upon seeing the messages and summoned the girl to the front office. At about the same time, the girl said she began receiving texts from Conti, instructing her to delete their messages. She did. Related: Former Wellington math teacher accused of sexual relationship with student found dead In the office, the girl said she ignored the principal's questions and asked for an attorney. She said Turenne asked her to leave campus without yet notifying her parents about Conti's suspension or the reason behind it. According to court records, a SouthTech receptionist asked Turenne over a walkie-talkie to confirm that the student should be released from campus without her parents' signature. "Yes. Get her out of here," attorneys said Turenne answered. The receptionist asked again whether Turenne had written or verbal consent from the girl's parents, as was required by school policy. "I will deal with it later," Turenne said, according to court records. "Just tell (Jane Doe) to sign on behalf of her parent." The next time her parents saw their daughter was hours later in the emergency room. Intubated and comatose, she appeared in such grave condition that a deputy said her mother nearly fainted when she saw her. Turenne, who retired from SouthTech three days later, did not return a request for comment. "The school waited for the water to spill before they took any action to protect her," Mesa-Estrada said. "And when they pushed her out, they basically turned her into the hands of the predator." After leaving SouthTech, the girl met Conti at a Home Depot near Lake Worth Beach. In-store surveillance cameras recorded Conti as he accompanied the student through the store. She picked out 30 feet of rope and 15 feet of chain, and told an employee she was building a tree house. She told Conti it was for the both of them to commit suicide. Conti changed his mind. The girl said he touched the rope, said he was 'scared of death' and told his student repeatedly not to kill herself. According to court records, he stood with her at the self-checkout while she bought the rope. The pair then walked out of the store together and 'went their separate ways.' Conti told deputies later that he called his therapist and asked what he should do. The therapist told him to hang up and call 911. He did. The call triggered a 30-minute search for the girl. Deputies found her hanging from a rope behind a nearby church with the help of her parents, who tracked her location through their phone. Deputies arrested Conti on Feb. 6, 2024, after he admitted that his sexual relationship with the girl, and his suspension from school because of it, precipitated her suicide attempt. 'There was feelings that shouldn't have been there,' he told the arresting deputy. 'I should have stopped it.' SouthTech fired Conti the following day. In addition to his admission of performing sex acts on the girl, investigators uncovered thousands of messages between the teacher and student — many of which the lawyers said contained "highly inappropriate and/or explicit sexual content." During a hearing in October, prosecutors offered the former teacher a chance to plead guilty in exchange for a 25-year prison sentence — a fraction of the penalty he'll face if he maintains his innocence and is convicted at trial. Conti rejected the offer. He rejected a 10-year offer before that one, too. His refusal put his case on track for a jury trial scheduled to begin June 23. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the Palm Beach County Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center can help. Reach their helpline at 561-833-7273, or toll-free at 866-891-7273. The 211 community helpline and crisis hotline also provides suicide prevention, crisis intervention, information, assessment and referral to community services for people of all ages. Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@ Help support our journalism and subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm teacher made suicide pact with student he sexually abused
