A jury found Philip Chism guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of his Danvers High School math teacher in 2013.
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Chism was 14 when he followed Ritzer into a school bathroom, strangled her, stabbed her at least 16 times with a box cutter and raped her. Ritzer’s body was found in woods near the school.
Wearing their daughter’s favorite color of pink as they addressed the conviction of her killer, the parents of Colleen E. Ritzer on Tuesday vowed to make sure that she is remembered for the kindness she showed in life.
Superior Court Judge David Lowy ultimately determined that Chism was competent to be tried as an adult for the rape and murder of Ritzer. That case will be heard Wednesday in Suffolk County Juvenile Court. The unnamed worker suffered injuries to her face, jaw, neck and back.
Chism has a status hearing today in Suffolk County
Juvenile Court for the
attempted murder of a
female staffer at a Department of Youth Services
facility in Dorchester. His attorneys were due back in court for a hearing in that case, but it was unclear whether Chism would attend.
“This guilty verdict, while the beginning of justice for Colleen, is certainly no cause for celebration because there can never be true justice for the crime committed”, said Tom Ritzer.
The teen will be eligible for parole in 2030.
Members of Ritzer’s family cried uncontrollably in the courtroom on Tuesday as the verdict was read.
Chism’s lawyers admitted that when he was 14 years old he killed and raped his high school math teacher.
Jurors were shown chilling surveillance video that showed Chism putting on a pair of gloves as he followed Ms Ritzer into the bathroom on 22 October 2013.
Prosecutors said Philip Chism “knew right from wrong and could choose right from wrong” during closing arguments Monday. Ritzer was a math teacher at Danvers High and was killed by a student with a box cutter. The jury deliberating for about 10 hours over the course of two days. He was not charged with unnatural rape.
Philip Chism was also found guilty of aggravated rape and armed robbery, reports the station.
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Peggie Ritzer, Ritzer’s mother, said, “We will carry on and do our very best to find the good in every day”. According to another student who also stayed behind, Ritzer started talking to Chism about how he found the new community compared to his old town of Clarksville, Tennessee.
