Soccer star and freshman at Danvers High School in Massachusetts, Phillip Chism, 14, is accused of killing his math teacher following an argument with a student in class. On October 22, 2013, Colleen Ritzer, 24, was raped with a tree branch and her throat slit in the high school bathroom, then her body was dumped in the woods. The accused has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, aggravated rape and armed robbery.
The victim’s family is mortified following a court ruling that was made on Christmas Eve. In a statement to press, they expressed their devastation: “The Ritzer family feels a deep sense of betrayal and anguish with the recent decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that provides more rights to those youths convicted of horrible and heinous crimes than victims and their families. While these convicted murderers are now provided a second chance through the possibility of parole, victims slain at the hands of ‘youthful offenders,’ possibly even our precious daughter Colleen, will be victimized again and again. This decision should not be applauded, rather overturned as an act of justice and humanity to victims of violent crimes and their families.”
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that juveniles under age 18 convicted of first-degree murder should be given the chance of parole in part because their brains are not fully developed. The U.S. Supreme Court had previously issued a similar decision.
Surveillance video reportedly shows Chism following Ritzer into the school restroom, wearing gloves and a hood, then later walking out alone. Chism reportedly wheeled her body outside in a large recycling bin and dumped it in the woods behind the school. Her body was found naked from the waist down with the three-foot branch still inside her corpse, which was covered in leaves. Her bra was pulled down and her top was pulled up.
District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett also said in court Chism stole Ritzer’s iPhone, credit cards and underwear. He was found with her underwear and a bloody knife in his bag.
Chism, whose family attributes his heinous actions to his parents’ pending divorce, is being held without bond and will be charged as an adult. He’s scheduled to appear in court again on January 30 for another pretrial hearing.
