Wilmington teacher faces 47-year minimum sentence in child abuse case

Christopher Crisona, a 58-year-old former teacher in Wilmington, was convicted on October 22 of repeatedly raping a child. The verdict follows a yearslong investigation into allegations of sexual abuse within the Diocese of Wilmington. Crisona was found guilty of three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, two counts of unlawful sexual contact, one count of unlawful sexual penetration, and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Officials determined that Crisona committed the acts between September 1, 1994, and June 15, 1995. During that period, he taught at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Wilmington. The school removed him from his position the following year after a student filed a complaint. Crisona subsequently taught at St. Matthew’s in Wilmington in 1999, Corpus Christi in 1999, and St. Hedwig’s in 2000.

The case originated from an anonymous report sent to the Diocese of Wilmington. That report alleged that Father John Taggart and Father John Francis O’Brien had sexually abused the same victim. O’Brien has since died. Taggart is accused of abusing the child during their seventh and eighth-grade years at St. Thomas the Apostle School. The abuse reportedly continued after the child entered high school. Taggart worked at the church from 1987 through 1998 and was transferred to St. John the Apostle church in Milford, Delaware, in January 1999.

Attorney General Kathy Jennings addressed the conviction in a statement. She described sexual abuse by individuals in positions of power and sacred trust as a horror unto its own. Jennings said she could not imagine the suffering the victim endured or the bravery it took to come forward.

Crisona faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 47 years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. John Taggart is scheduled to stand trial on January 11, 2027. He faces multiple charges related to the child rape case.

Resources for victims are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center. The National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline operates at 800-656-4673.