Chism Charged With Murder, Rape, Robbery in Ritzer Case

The Danvers High School student accused of killing his teacher has been indicted by an Essex County Grand Jury for first-degree murder and aggravated rape, as well as armed robbery District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's office announced Thursday.

"The indictments returned today detail horrific and unspeakable acts,” Blodgett said in a statement. 

The body of Colleen Ritzer, a math teacher from Andover, was found near Danvers High School on Oct. 23 around 3 a.m., several hours after police and prosecutors say Philip Chism, 14, murdered her with a box cutter in one of the school's bathrooms.

Speculation at what motivated the killing ran rampant in the weeks following Ritzer's death and prosecutors finally revealed at a recent court hearing two weeks ago that there was no evidence to suggest wrongdoing or improper behavior by Ritzer.

The grand jury indictments claim that, before murdering Ritzer, Chism — armed with a box cutter — sexually assaulted her with an object and robbed her of her credit cards, iPhone and underwear.

Ritzer's family also released a brief statement in response to Thursday's indictments, which you can find here.

The chief medical examiner's office has ruled Ritzer's death was a homicide, but the exact cause of death is still pending, according to Blodgett's office.

Prosecutors and police determined that the murder happened on the afternoon of Oct. 22, after Ritzer had Chism stay after school to prepare for an upcoming exam.

Law enforcement sources have told media outlets Chism placed Ritzer's body in a recycling bin, which he then dragged out of the building and dumped in the woods behind the school.

Chism reportedly skipped soccer practice and went to Hollywood Hits to see "Blue Jasmine" (and possibly went to the AMC Loews Theatre as well) before police found him walking along Route 1 in Topsfield after midnight.

"Since the moment Ms. Ritzer’s body was discovered, a dedicated and professional team of state police detectives assigned to my office, Danvers Police officers, crime scene forensic experts and assistant district attorneys have worked tirelessly to compile and present the evidence to the Grand Jury. This is the first step in a long process to secure justice for Ms. Ritzer and her family," Blodgett said.

Chism is currently being tried as a juvenile for the rape and robbery charges and as an adult for the murder charge, but Blodgett's office says it will move to join all three indictments together in superior court.

Blodgett's office says that under state law, anyone 14 or older who is indicted for murder must be tried as an adult.

“It is important for the public to understand that, while this case continues to be under investigation and is pending in court, this office cannot and will not disclose information outside of court that could compromise our ability to prosecute this defendant,” Blodgett said.

Chism is being held without bail at a Department of Youth Services facility and is represented by public defender Denise Regan. A superior court arraignment date has not yet been set.