Judge Mulls Releasing New Details in Murder of Andover Teacher

It was just over a week ago that Andover native Colleen Ritzer was murdered and her body dumped in the woods behind Danvers High School, where she taught math.

The 14-year-old student accused of her murder -- Philip Chism -- has been arraigned on a charge of first-degree murder in Salem District Court and remains held without bail as prosecutors present their case to an Essex County Grand Jury to have Chism indicted and move the proceedings to superior court.

If the grand jury agrees to hand down an indictment, Chism would be arraigned again in superior court and treated as an adult, and the case in the lower court would be dismissed.

A lengthy pre-trial process could ensue, as often happens in murder cases, before a public trial is finally conducted, where many of the unanswered questions swirling about the murder and motives would be addressed.

District attorney's office spokesperson Carrie Kimball-Monahan said she can't predict at this time when the grand jury might reach a decision, although it was initially expected to happen prior to Chism's probable cause hearing back in district court on Nov. 22.

Kimball-Monahan said prosecutors' presentation of the case to the grand jury is underway and the DA's office is working diligently on that front as well as to conclude the investigation itself -- the medical examiner's office still hasn't determined a cause and manner of death.

That isn't necessarily unusual, she said -- sometimes that process requires more time to complete, and this is one of those instances.

She also pointed out none of the information widely reported now on the alleged murder weapon or how Ritzer was killed was released by the DA's office. Those details have come from unnamed law enforcement sources speaking to various news agencies, and mixed in with that is a great deal of speculation.

In the meantime, attorneys for several news agencies and prosecutors will meet with Salem District Court Judge Michael Lauranzano Monday afternoon to argue his order to impound certain records in the case.

At the request of Essex County DA Jonathan Blodgett's office, court documents related to a search warrant were sealed from public view last week by Lauranzano.

Those documents contained the results of the search, which included Chism's home in Danversport, along with the reasons why the warrant was requested in the first place. Those documents would normally be available to the public; in fact, even the motion requesting the material be impounded was sealed.

What is available to the public from the court is a brief statement of facts, which sheds little light on the case beyond that prosecutors appear confident of the evidence against Chism.

Kimball-Monahan explained there were three reasons why prosecutors sought to seal the records.

"We requested the impoundment because the search warrant affidavit and the motion to impound the affidavit contain (1) sensitive information that may be prejudicial to the defendant and jeopardize his right to a fair trial, (2) witness names who have yet to appear before the grand jury and (3) information that may contribute to the increased psychological and emotional distress of the victim’s family," she said.

"Our motion cites case law which supports the protection of the defendant’s right to a fair trial; preserving the integrity of an investigation and respecting the victim’s family’s right to privacy," said Kimball-Monahan.

She said she expects the media attorneys to argue why the impoundment order should be lifted while the DA's office will argue for it to remain in place. She wasn't sure if Lauranzano would rule from the bench that afternoon or take it under advisement.