SALEM, Mass. – The Latest on the sentencing of a Massachusetts teacher convicted of raping and killing his high school math teacher (all times local):
10:30 a.m.
The sentencing hearing for a Massachusetts teenager convicted of raping and killing his high school math teacher is underway.
A judge is expected to sentence 17-year-old Philip Chism on Friday after hearing nine victim-impact statements from Colleen Ritzer's family and friends.
Many of them are wearing pink, Ritzer's favorite color.
Chism was 14 when he killed the 24-year-old Danvers High School teacher in 2013.
His mother, Diane, released a statement Friday expressing her sorrow.
She said her prayers were with the Ritzer family "as they continue their journey to heal."
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9 a.m.
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 14 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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