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CRIME

Massachusetts teen charged with killing math teacher loses bid to move his trial

Associated Press
Published | Updated

SALEM, Mass. – A judge has rejected a request to move the trial of a Massachusetts teenager charged with killing his high school math teacher.

A lawyer for 16-year-old Philip Chism had argued that media coverage of the case has been "pervasive," ''sensational" and "inflammatory." The defense suggested moving the trial from eastern Massachusetts to western Massachusetts.

Judge David Lowy ruled Thursday that Chism's trial will stay in Essex County Superior Court in Salem. The trial is set to begin Oct. 7.

Chism has pleaded not guilty to killing Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer in October 2013, when he was 14.

Ritzer's family said in a statement Thursday that keeping the trial in Salem will ease travel burdens for relatives and friends, and they believe an Essex County jury can be impartial.