Photo: NBC News
Philip Chism appears in court for his arraignment Wednesday.
The 14-year-old student accused of murdering a Massachusetts math teacher will be tried as an adult.
CBS Boston reports that Philip Chism was held without bail Wednesday in a Danvers, Mass. court. Colleen Ritzer, 24, was found dead in the woods behind Danvers High School early Wednesday morning, shortly after she was reported missing.
Court documents allege that interviews with Chism and video surveillance recovered at the school led investigators to believe he assaulted and then killed Ritzer before disposing of her body near campus, Fox 25 reports.
Ritzer was reportedly a well-liked teacher at the school, while Chism was a leader on his soccer team.
“He wasn’t violent at all. He was really the opposite of aggressive,” student Kyle Cahill told Fox 25.
Ritzer was reported missing at about 11:20 p.m. on Tuesday when she didn’t return home. Chism was also reported missing overnight, and police tweeted an alert both when he went missing and when he was “found safely.” Police picked him up as he was walking along a Danvers road at about 12:30 a.m. today, The Boston Globe reports.
Initially, Chism’s defense wanted his court proceedings closed to the public due to his age. He is due back in court Nov. 22.
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