Teen faces life sentence in killing of high school teacher

Published February 26, 2016

A Massachusetts teenager convicted of raping and killing his high school math teacher faces a sentence of up to life in prison when a judge hands out his punishment.

Philip Chism was convicted in December in the 2013 death of Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer. He's scheduled to be sentenced Friday in Salem Superior Court.

The 17-year-old Chism faces life on the murder charge, but would be eligible for parole after 15 to 25 years because he was a 14-year-old juvenile at the time of the killing. He also faces lengthy sentences on charges of aggravated rape and robbery. Prosecutors have asked that he stay in prison for at least 50 years.

The defense admitted Chism killed Ritzer, but said he was suffering from severe mental illness and wasn't criminally responsible for his actions.

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