'Demons & Saviors's Christina Boyer Has A Very Dedicated Team Of Supporters
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In the mid-80s, a teenager named Christina Boyer made headlines after she and her family claimed she was able to move objects with her mind. Then in 1992, Christina made the news again. This time, she was charged with the murder of her 3-year-old daughter Amber.
Christina’s story is the subject of the new Hulu true crime documentary Demons & Saviors. The documentary dives into Christina’s life, as well as the details surrounding the death of Amber, and Christina’s court case.
The three-part series weighs the evidence in the case, explores the efforts made by Christina’s supporters to free her, and even includes interviews with Christina, herself, who still maintains her innocence in the case.
But who is Christina Boyer and where is she now? Here’s what you need to know.
Who is Christina Boyer?
Christina Boyer rose to fame in the 1980s and became known as the “poltergeist girl” for her supposed supernatural powers (in reference to the 1982 Steven Spielberg film Poltergeist), the New York Post says. At the time, she went by the name Tina Resch.
Christina had a troubled childhood. She was abandoned in a hospital by her birth mother and was adopted by Joan and John Resch, the documentary explains.
Christina claims John was physically abusive. “His discipline was with fist[s],” she says in the documentary, per the New York Post. “I was prepared for prison long before I ever came to prison.”
Christina also alleges that her adoptive brother molested her.
As a teen, she thought she could move things with her mind.
Reports said that Christina—then, Tina—could bend silverware, make objects soar in midair, and even rip a phone off a hook with her mind. The last event was captured by a photographer for the Columbus Times Dispatch and became famous around the world.
Christina says in the documentary that the paranormal episodes started in 1984 and, when she was 14, her adopted parents called in a priest to do an exorcism. But Christina was eventually seen on camera trying to fake her alleged abilities and it was branded as a hoax, the Post says.
Did she actually kill her daughter, Amber?
Christina eventually ran away from home and found herself in what she called an abusive marriage, per ABC News. She eventually moved to the town of Carrollton, Georgia, with her toddler daughter, Amber.
On April 14, 1992, Christina says she came home from her psychologist’s house and found 3-year-old Amber unresponsive. At the time, Amber was being watched by Christina’s boyfriend, David Herrin.
The medical examiner determined that Amber’s injuries were signs of child abuse that had likely occurred over the course of several days, and determined that Amber died of a fatal blow to her head, ABC News reported. At the time Amber supposedly experienced the fatal blow, Christina said she wasn’t home. And she has maintained her innocence ever since, saying she did not kill her daughter.
She was sentenced to life in prison in 1992.
Both Christina and David were arrested for Amber’s murder. Former District Attorney Peter Skandalakis says in the documentary that witnesses claimed they'd seen Christina physically abuse her daughter.
But the case never made it to trial. Instead, Christina agreed to a plea bargain to avoid the death sentence, ABC News says. She was sentenced to life plus 20 years in prison with the possibility of parole, per ABC News.
Christina has maintained her innocence in Amber's death for over three decades. "Her steadfast unwillingness to 'confess' remorse for a crime she did not commit constitutes both evidence in favor of her exoneration as well as a roadblock for the Parole Board," a website about her case, created by her supporters, reads.
David was acquitted of the murder charge and only convicted of cruelty to children, per ABC. He served just 12 years of his 20-year sentence before being released on parole in 2011.
Where is Christina now?
She is currently housed in Pulaski State Prison in Hawkinsville, Georgia.
Over the years, Christina has won supporters to her cause, including three former Georgetown University students, dubbing themselves “Team Tina."
Her website explains that "she has a dedicated Facebook following of over 150 people, all of whom await her weekly updates, and some of whom write to her directly from around the world." These supporters argue that Christina isn't guilty because she wasn’t home when the fatal blow occurred.
Christina is currently enrolled in online classes at Ashland University in Ohio, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Communications with a minor in Business Administration, the website says. She’s also working on getting an associate’s degree in church administration through the Christian College and Seminary.
You can learn more about Christina, the "Poltergeist Girl," in the new Hulu doc, streaming now.
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