14-year-old arrested in murder of Massachusetts teacher charged as adult

FOXNEWS ^ | 10/23/13 | FOXNEWS

[Doogle]

A 14-year-old arrested in the murder of a 24-year-old teacher in Danvers, Mass., was charged by the Essex district attorney as an adult Wednesday during his arraignment at Salem District Court.

Philip Chism, 14, pleaded not guilty and was held without bail. His defense attorney argued for the proceedings to be closed and her client to be allowed to stay hidden because of his age. The judge denied the request. The judge approved a motion for a mental evaluation, The Boston Herald reported.

Chism is charged in the murder of Colleen Ritzer of Andover, a Danvers High School teacher. She was found dead in the woods behind the school. She had not returned home from work Tuesday and was not answering her cellphone, Jonathan Blodgett, the Essex district attorney, said. Investigators found blood in a second floor school bathroom and soon located the victim.

[The Sons of Liberty]

If 18 is “adult” status, how do they decide when a kid is charged as an adult? Is it purely at the whim of the prosecutor?

[Secret Agent Man]

Good. murder is murder. somebody is DEAD, DELIBERATELY.

appears to be another obama’s son on top of it.

[Doogle]

it may depend on the crime

[Menehune56]

Uh oh, appears to be one of Holder's people...

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/226629-Danvers-schools-closed-during-homicide-probe?p=3510298

[Secret Agent Man]

i believe they should always charge MURDER as an adult-level crime, no matter what age the defendant. if there are to be exceptions, let the exeception be to try for lesser sentence than murder, but as an adult.

[Personal Responsibility]

But to get healthcare, he’s still a child until he’s 26!

[cherry]

guilty....

[Zhang Fei]

My guess is rape and murder.

[corkoman]

Blood found in upstairs bathroom led to the body outside of the school grounds. Grisly murder. He will be put to death 18 years from now

or released on good behavior in 8.

[Mears]

No death penalty in MA.

.

[WayneS]

Correct.

But to get the “Morning After” Pill, a girl is an “adult” at 12.

[WayneS]

I think that is a reasonable approach to the issue.

[WayneS]

Has his grandmother/aunt/mother given the requisite "I just know he could not have done this - he's a good boy..." statement to the local media yet?

[who knows what evil?]

Here goes the media once again...pick out the geeky, 'Steve Urkel' photo (a la Trayvon Martin) instead of the photos in the British press that make him look a littler less 'harmless'...

He probably figured picking were easier up here in Red England since most women up here would NEVER think of packing. It's a bit different back in Tennessee.

[C210N]

There is the death penalty here in MA, MA-style.

Abortion and PP are big here!

[who knows what evil?]

I think Boston radio host Howie Carr would say that “he was just turning his life around...”

[TexasCajun]

Didn’t he kill a White Teacher? ...racist!!

[Personal Responsibility]

Right.

And if a woman wants an abortion, that’s ok because it’s “not alive.” But if that same woman is murdered, the assailant can be charged with killing “the child.”

Insanity.

[stockpirate]

I think it may be because he may have raped her then beat her to death.........least that’s what I’ve recently read.