The former Florida teacher faces up to 105 years in prison for alleged grooming and sexual abuse of a teenage girl, resulting in a suicide attempt.
Damian Conti is a 36-year-old former senior English teacher at Southtech Academy, a charter school for students in 9th to 12th grade in Boynton Beach.
“She lives by miracles.”
According to investigators, Conti began sending messages to 16-year-old female students in August 2023 via textbooks, Instagram and school emails.
Conti is said to have offered to be the girl’s academic mentor.
Teachers reportedly meet students nearby, where they have finished in their lockers every day.
The victim’s family lawyer said Conti met the teenager at Starbucks, visited the teenager for her job and brought her 4-year-old son. He is also said to have given him a teenage gift.
Conti reportedly persuaded the girl to join the volleyball team he coached.
Investigators say he took her out of volleyball practice and made excuses to take her to his classroom.
Palm Beach Post “The student reported that he had opened up to her about his work and family life and encouraged her to let her out her own frustration. As their trust grew, he began to share intimate secrets about his marriage and sex life.”
The girl allegedly told investigators in October 2023 that Conti “loves her.”
Shortly afterwards, Conti began sexually abusing minors, according to his teens. The alleged sexual assault occurred in the car park at the shopping plaza, in his classroom, and in the storage closet at South Tech Academy.
The former teacher is said to have driven the lesson to the girl.
In January 2024, South Tech Academy administrators reportedly emailed Conti with warnings about driving minor students in his car after a girl entering Conti’s car began to circulate to Tiktok.
“I want to remind you that you should not carry students in your car,” Assistant Principal Erin Kurtz wrote to Conti. “If you’re transporting them for a field trip, you’ll get the right documents and there should be at least three people at any time.”
Citing court records, the Post reported that Conti told the suspected victim that Kurtz had questioned him about inappropriate conduct with a different teenage girl a year ago. Conti is said to have boasted about how quickly he convinced the vice principal that the basis was unfounded. However, he reportedly continued to sexually assault the first suspect.
Conti and the victim of the second suspect reportedly told investigators that their last sexual encounter took place on February 5, 2024 on the same day as his wedding anniversary, according to divorce documents filed three weeks later.
“I’m scared of death.”
The next day, a classmate who had access to social media accounts wanted to “fuck with her” by logging in to Instagram and sending a message from there. A classmate allegedly told the detective that he had logged in to her Instagram to see if he was “talking Smack” about him.
“Look, she was talking about me a smack,” he told police.
The male classmate also said he noticed a “strange” message in the girl’s private message between her and the account that appears to belong to Conti. Classmates reportedly took screenshots of conversations between the teacher and the student, and reportedly shared them with school administrators.
Irene Turenne, the current principal of Southern Tech Academy, suspended Conti after seeing the message. The principal summoned a teenage girl. He allegedly told deputies that Conti had instructed her to delete the messages between the pairs she had made.
According to court records, the student refused to answer the principal’s questions and requested an attorney.
The teen claimed that Turenne asked her to open campus, despite the fact that school policy wasn’t approved by the girl’s parents, which is necessary.
The school’s receptionist allegedly asked Turennes to confirm that students should be released from campus despite no parental approval.
“Yes,” Turennes reportedly responded. “Get her out of here.”
According to court documents, when the receptionist asked about the student’s release again, Turenne replied, “We’ll address that later. Tell her to sign on her parents’ behalf.”
The girl’s lawyer, Victoria Mesa Estrada, said, “The school was waiting for water to spill before taking any action to protect her, and when they pushed her out, they essentially turned her into a predator’s hand.”
Turenne reportedly retired from Southech Academy three days later.
“This case is not just about sexual abuse of minors by teachers.”
According to surveillance cameras at the hardware store, the teen left South Tech Academy on February 6th and reportedly met Conti at Home Depot near Lakeworth Beach.
According to court documents, the teens chose a 30-foot rope and a 15-foot chain. The teen reportedly told employees that she was building a wooden house.
However, the rope was reportedly to be used to kill the teens and Conti.
Conti, a civil lawsuit filed by the girl’s parents against South Tech Academy, initially agreed to a suicide agreement but later changed her mind.
The teenager said he was “fearing death” when investigators touched the rope. He is said to have since told his teens not to commit suicide.
According to court records, the pair left the Home Depostore together and “got a separate path.”
Shortly afterwards, Conti insisted that he had asked his therapist for advice on what to do. The therapist is said to have told him to call 911 immediately. Conti reportedly told police the girl’s suicide plan, but reportedly did not inform police that he was with her when she purchased the rope.
When the news of a teenager committed suicide was received, police immediately searched the girl. With the help of the girl’s parents who tracked her location through the phone, deputies from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office reportedly found her hanging from a tree behind the church within an hour of the 911 call.
Officers cut the rope and resuscitated the girl before rushing to the pediatric intensive care unit at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach. The teenager seemed so serious that his mother almost fainted when he saw his daughter, the aide said.
The alleged victim reportedly recovered slowly from her injuries.
Same day – February 6th – Conti has been arrested. Police said Conti has admitted to having a sexual relationship with the girl.
Conti reportedly told the arrest adjutant “feeling that wasn’t supposed to be there” and “I should have stopped it.”
The next day, Conti was fired from South Tech Academy.
“He’s faced with a lot of wounds.”
Investigators have discovered thousands of messages between teachers and students, but the lawyers claim it contains “very inappropriate and/or explicit sexual content.”
WPEC-TV Conti initially reported that he was charged with 6 counts of illegal sexual activity with a minor.
During the hearing last October, prosecutors allegedly offered Conti a plea deal that sentenced him to 25 years in prison. Conti refused.
Earlier this month, prosecutors attacked Conti.
If convicted, Conti will face up to 105 years in prison.
Alexa Ruggiero, assistant to Alexa Ruggiero, reportedly, “This incident is nothing more than sexual abuse of minors by teachers. Some of the most upsetting evidence includes taking this young girl to the store and buying ingredients to end her life.”
Ruggiero noted that there was additional evidence “to support his involvement with her suicide attempt.”
“We’re not only talking about sexual predators, but about those who bet in support of suicide attempts. She lives by miracles,” Mesa Estrada said.
Former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Alonberg said WPBF-TV“One fact of his favor is that he said he called 911 and that’s how they found her and that he was able to save her life. It’s like being able to help him at trial, but he still faces a lot of wounds.”
Conti’s ju trial is scheduled to begin on June 23rd.
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