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.
Blodgett did not say how Ritzer died or if the two knew each other. Authorities said there is no reason to believe there is another suspect. Chism did not return home from school Tuesday. He was found by Topsfield police early Wednesday morning wandering Route 1, authorities said.
High school student Kendall Meehan told the Boston Herald that the school superintendent alerted families with a robo telephone call Wednesday morning.
"It's just terrifying," she said. "Nothing like this ever happens in Danvers."
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/10/23/all-public-schools-in-massachusetts-town-closed-for-homicide-investigation/Even though the thug's picture was all over the place when he was considered a "missing child," the media initially refused to ID him or show his picture.