16-year-old Philip Chism was recently found guilty of first-degree murder for the death of his mathematics teacher, Colleen Ritzer, at Danvers High School in MA.
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The trial was shown chilling footage of Chism – who is now 16 – pulling up the hood on his sweatshirt, sneaking out of the class and following the teacher into the toilet.
The defense did not dispute that Chism killed Ritzer, but argued that the teen, whose family has a history of mental illness, suffered from a psychotic break.
Chism was convicted of a raping Ritzer inside the bathroom but was acquitted of a second rape, committed with a tree branch in woods near the school where Chism put her body.
But a defense attorney says the then 14-year-old Chism was in “the throes of mental illness” when he killed 24-year-old Colleen Ritzer in 2013.
As reported by ABC News, the incident occurred on October 2013, when Ritzer asked Chism to stay after school.
The jury in the trial of a MA teen who killed his math teacher have resumed deliberations on murder and aggravated rape charges.
“This guilty verdict, while the beginning of justice, is certainly no cause for celebration”, Ritzer’s father, Tom Ritzer, said.
But recent federal and state court decisions regarding juveniles charged with capital crimes will spare him from spending the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole.
In her closing argument on Monday, Essex County prosecutor Kate McDougall stressed that Chism’s actions were methodical throughout the day of the attack and included bringing bags to school containing a box cutter, gloves and a change of clothes, and later shopping at a store for a hunting knife.
For Chism to have been found guilty for this count, the jury would have had to believe she was still alive at the time. They said Chism was seen following Ritzer to the restroom and pacing back and forth outside the door. Chism was 14 at the time.
The popular Danvers High School teacher’s body was later found in a wooded area near the school. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
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