It may be shocking when a young person commits a violent crime, but sadly, it is not uncommon in the twenty-first century. This week, I present the case of Philip Chism, who raped and murdered a teacher when he was only 14 years old.
Philip Chism Murders a Math Teacher
Classes had ended at Danvers High School in Danvers, Massachusetts, on October 22, 2013, when Colleen Ritzer headed into the girls’ restroom. Philip Chism, then 14, followed the 24-year-old math teacher into the washroom and attacked her. He strangled her, stabbed her 16 times, and raped her, then stuffed her body into a recycling bin. Later, he rolled the bin out into a wooded area near the school.
Once in the woods, Chism assaulted Ritzer again, this time with a tree branch. He then stole her underwear and credit cards before covering her body with leaves. An autopsy performed by Medical Examiner Dr. Anna McDonald determined that Ritzer may have still been alive during the second assault.
While Chism’s attorneys presented an insanity defense, the prosecution would have none of it, maintaining Chism knew right from wrong. The jury agreed, and on December 15, 2015, they convicted the now 17-year-old Chism of rape, armed robbery, and first-degree murder. Judge David Lowy handed down a sentence of life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 40 years.
Philip Chism Attacks Another Woman
In early 2024, Chism pleaded guilty to a second assault that was an eerie reprise of his murder of Ritzer. Now 25, he pleaded guilty to kidnapping, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and attempted murder.
The charges in this case stemmed from an incident that occurred in June 2014 while Chism awaited trial for Ritzer’s murder. Chism followed a 29-year-old female Massachusetts Department of Youth Services worker into a restroom. There, he pinned her against a wall while trying to strangle her and attacked her with a pencil.
Following his guilty plea, Chism was sentenced to 40 years in prison for his assault on the youth services worker. This sentence will run concurrently with the life sentence he received for killing Colleen Ritzer.
Epilogue
Today (2024), Philip Chism resides at the maximum security Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Massachusetts. He will be eligible for (but not guaranteed) parole in 2056, when he will be 57 years old.
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