Former Wilmington Teacher Convicted of Child Rape Decades Later

Christopher Crisona, a 58-year-old former teacher, was convicted on October 22, 2026, for the repeated rape and sexual abuse of a child in Delaware more than three decades ago. The conviction follows a yearslong investigation into a pattern of abuse involving multiple figures of authority at a Catholic school in Wilmington.

Crisona spent years moving between classrooms in two different states, maintaining a career in education while carrying the secret of his crimes.

Crisona convicted on all counts of child abuse

The Delaware Department of Justice secured convictions on all charges against Crisona. Official DOJ records indicate he was convicted of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child, one count of Unlawful Sexual Penetration Third Degree, two counts of Unlawful Sexual Contact Second Degree, and three counts of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse First Degree.

The evidence showed that the abuse occurred between September 1, 1994, and June 15, 1995, while Crisona was employed as a teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Wilmington. He now faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 47 years in prison, though a specific sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

“Sexual abuse of any kind is unconscionable; for it to come at the hands of individuals in positions of power and sacred trust is a horror unto its own,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “I cannot imagine the suffering this victim endured, nor the bravery it took to come forward.”

A career built on institutional silence

While he was removed from St. Thomas the Apostle School during the academic year following a student complaint, he was not barred from the profession. Instead, he continued to work within the Catholic school system in Delaware, with employment records showing he worked at St. Matthew’s in Wilmington (1999), Corpus Christi (1999), and St. Hedwig’s (2000).

He eventually relocated to Florida, where he found a second career in the public school system. Data from Orange County Public Schools shows that Crisona began his employment in August 2008 and worked for roughly 16 years at various sites, including Andover Elementary School, Wedgefield K-8, Avalon Middle School, Stone Lakes Elementary, Fern Creek Elementary, Sadler Elementary, and Columbia Elementary.

It took an anonymous report in June 2022 to the Diocese of Wilmington to trigger the investigation that finally caught up with him. Crisona was arrested on March 10, 2025, while actively working at Andover Elementary School in Orlando, Florida.

The wider web of abuse at St. Thomas the Apostle

Crisona was not the only predator targeting the same victim. The investigation revealed that the child was also abused by two Catholic priests. Father John Francis O’Brien, who is now deceased, and Father John Taggart are both linked to the abuse of the same victim during the child’s seventh- and eighth-grade years.

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The abuse reportedly extended beyond the school walls, continuing after the victim began high school. Taggart worked at the church from 1987 through 1998 before being transferred to St. John the Apostle church in Milford, Delaware, in January 1999.

Systemic failure and the burden of proof

Every year Crisona worked as an educator in Florida, other children were potentially at risk.

As the legal system prepares for the trial of John Taggart in early 2027, the central question remains: how many other “student complaints” were filed and forgotten, and how many other educators are still in classrooms today because of a lack of transparent reporting?