Crime & Safety

Teen Suspect in Slaying of Andover Woman Held Without Bail

Philip Daniel Chism, 14, will be held without bail on charges of murdering math teacher and Andover native Colleen Ritzer.

By Owen Boss and Chris Helms

The 14-year-old charged with killing Danvers High School math teacher Colleen Ritzer will be held without bail.

That's the result of a Wednesday arraignment at Salem District Court.

Ritzer graduated from Andover High School.

The judge is treating the suspect, Philip Daniel Chism, as an adult, which meant the proceeding was open to the media.

New details emerged during the court session. According to prosecutors, there is surveillance video of Ritzer going into a bathroom at Danvers High around 2:45 p.m. The video also shows the suspect going into the bathroom about 2:50 p.m.

"It was learned from an interview of the juvenile suspect and video surveillance footage recovered from the school," read court documents, "that a juvenile student that attends Danvers High School assaulted and subsequently murdered [the victim] and disposed of her body near the high school grounds."

An attorney for Chism had no comment on leaving the courthouse in Salem.

The next court date was set for Nov. 22.

You can view the first minute of Chism's arraignment in the attached video from the Associated Press.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.