SALEM, Mass., Nov. 21 (UPI) -- The 14-year-old boy charged with raping and killing a teacher in Danvers, Mass., was indicted Thursday on a first-degree murder charge.
Philip Chism was also charged in the indictment with aggravated sexual assault and armed robbery, The Boston Globe reported. Prosecutors said he is charged as an adult with murder and as a youthful offender on the other counts, although they may ask a court to merge them with the murder charge.
The body of Colleen Ritzer, 24, was found in woods behind Danvers High School in October. Prosecutors say Ritzer was attacked after staying at school to talk to Chism about a test Oct. 22.
Chism, armed with a box cutter, allegedly sexually assaulted Ritzer in a bathroom and killed her, stealing credit cards and an iPhone, prosecutors said.
"The indictments returned today detail horrific and unspeakable acts," Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said in a statement. "This is the first step in a long process to secure justice for Ms. Ritzer and her family."
The killing and Chism's arrest shocked students at Danvers, who described Ritzer as a caring and enthusiastic math teacher and Chism, who had moved to Danvers recently from Tennessee, as an apparently gentle teenager and talented soccer player.
