Philip D. Chism, 14, was charged as an adult in the murder of 24-year-old High School teacher Colleen Ritzer. She was the only person targeted in his attack at
Danvers High School. The boy reportedly followed his teacher into the restroom in October of 2013. Chism allegedly raped and killed Ritzer with a box cutter then used a recycling bin to move her body, taking some of her possessions with him.
Chism then reportedly was picked up while wandering on a roadside after having gone to see a Woody Allen movie. He seemed somewhat coherent when first hearing the charges but soon after starting showing some signs of unusual behavior.
During his screening at the Youth Services detention center Chism allegedly attacked a female staff member according to the
Salem News. He was reportedly struggling, yelling and even foaming at the mouth. His actions were also described as "psychotic" by those who assessed his condition. Authorities also say he had to be restrained and needed constant supervision.
This may be very important for his upcoming trial. The
insanity defense has been used many times in the past as a reasonable way for people to not stand trial. It has been losing some traction though as many jury trials have
rejected the defense recently.
This is far from the only instance of a 14-year-old committing a violent crime this year. One girl allegedly shot and killed another
in Chicago. Timothy Crump was also stabbed to death
at 14. While this may seem like a rise figures from the
CDC and
FBI show that violence is actually dropping among males and staying somewhat steady among females.
It would seem this has already changed the trial in some way as the previous story from Salem News also mentioned that a judge redacted some statements Chism had made. His defense team is betting on him being unfit for trial. If he is found to be unfit Chism will likely be placed in medical care for mental illness.
