Via whdh.com
A Massachusetts jury on Tuesday found 16-year-old Philip Chism guilty of raping and murdering his math teacher when he was 14.
Chism was charged with first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated rape in the brutal assault and murder of his 24-year-old math teacher at Danvers High School in 2013.
His defense team had argued he was not mentally sound at the time of the killing, but the Essex Superior Court jury on Tuesday found him guilty of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated assault.
During the jury's verdict, Chism appeared stoic. His mother, Diana Chism, doubled over in tears.
Via whdh.com
Chism faces life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 15 to 25 years.
On Oct. 22, 2013, Chism assaulted 24-year-old Ritzer in the school bathroom where he slashed her legs, slit her throat with a box cutter and raped her. He then took her body into nearby woods and violated her corpse with a tree branch, before leaving a note on her body that read “I hate you all.”
Tuesday's verdict ends two weeks of disturbing evidence that included surveillance footage that documented nearly every step of the assault and murder.
Much of the testimony and evidence focused on the mental health of Chism at the time of the killing.
Dr. Richard Dudley Jr., a psychiatrist who testified for the defense, diagnosed Chism with psychosis just this year, arguing the teen could not be held responsible for his actions because he was suffering from a psychosis.
However, jurors ultimately sided with the prosecution's argument that Chism had murdered his teacher with premeditation.
A pre-sentencing conference is scheduled for Dec. 22.
from BuzzFeed - USNews http://ift.tt/1QrabJX
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