A jury began deliberations Monday in the case of a Massachusetts teenager accused of killing and raping his high school math teacher.
Prosecutors allege that Philip Chism, now 16, followed Colleen Ritzer, 24, into a girl’s bathroom on the second floor of Danvers High School on October 22, 2013, and killed her with a box cutter.
Chism also is accused of transporting Ritzer’s body to the woods near the Danvers, Massachusetts, school and violating her.
Chism is being tried as an adult. He has pleaded not guilty to charges that include murder, aggravated rape and robbery.
During closing arguments Monday, defense attorney Denise Regan recounted the testimony of psychiatrists, arguing that Chism has suffered from a psychotic disorder since a young age and that he responded to voices and hallucinations at the time of Ritzer’s killing.
“When Philip Chism followed Ms. Ritzer into that bathroom, he was not himself,” Regan said before the jury.
“He didn’t choose to do this.”
The defense conceded that Chism killed Ritzer but presented an insanity defense last week. The court had earlier found Chism competent to stand trial.
Prosecutor Kate MacDougall argued that Chism did not suffer from any mental illness and that surveillance video from inside the school showed Ritzer’s killing was planned.
“The only still image that matters in this case is the image of Colleen Ritzer in the woods,” MacDougall said.
“There is not one single person in this courtroom who wants to believe that a 14-year-old-boy could have done this and not be crazy. But doing something so awful does not make you crazy.”
Jurors have visited locations associated with the crime, including Danvers High. Surveillance video presented during the trial allegedly showed Chism following Ritzer into the bathroom. Photos show Chism disposing of Ritzer’s body in a recycling bin, prosecutors said.