A man convicted in the rape and death of a Massachusetts high school teacher more than a decade ago when he was a teenager pleaded guilty Friday to charges in connection with a separate brutal assault case involving a Department of Youth Services worker.
Philip Chism, now 25, was just 14 years of age when he strangled Colleen Ritzer, his algebra teacher, and repeatedly stabbed her with a box cutter in a Danvers High School bathroom in 2013. He then used a recycling bin to bring her body into nearby woods.
During closing arguments in his rape and murder trial, prosecutors stated that Ritzer was “stripped, battered, brutalized, and violated.” Chism, of Danvers, was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2016 in connection with Ritzer’s death.
Appearing in Boston Juvenile Court, Chism, charged as a youthful offender, pleaded guilty to attacking and seriously injuring a DYS worker on June 2, 2014.
Authorities allege that Chism, who was 15 at the time, eluded staff at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Dorchester and followed the female clinician into a bathroom area, where he trapped, choked, beat, and attacked her with a sharpened pencil.
When asked by the judge if he was voluntarily admitting to the facts laid out in court by a prosecutor, Chism responded, “That is correct, your honor.”
The victim was not present in court for Chism’s change of plea but in an impact statement read by the prosecutor on her behalf, she called Chism a “monster.”
A charity, the Colleen Ritzer Memorial Fund, was founded after her death. The fund awards hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants and scholarships to future teachers.
Ritzer, known for always having a smile on her face, loved to teach and loved life. She graduated from Assumption College in 2011 and was a standout student at Andover High School, graduating in 2007.
At the time of her death, her family said in a statement, “We are mourning the tragic death of our amazing, beautiful daughter and sister. Everyone that knew and loved Colleen knew of her passion for teaching and how she mentored each and every one of her students.”
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