New Charges for Teen Accused of Killing Teacher

Philip Chism allegedly attacked DYS worker on June 2
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 10, 2014 10:00 AM CDT
Updated Jul 10, 2014 10:12 AM CDT
New Charges for Teen Accused of Killing Teacher
Philip Chism, 15, from Danvers, Mass., stands with his attorney Denise Regan as he pleads not guilty at his arraignment on a second rape charge in Salem Superior Court in Salem, Mass., Jan. 30, 2014.   (AP Photo)

The 15-year-old Massachusetts boy accused of raping and murdering his high school math teacher last year was indicted yesterday on new charges stemming from an alleged June 2 attack on a female Department of Youth Services worker. Philip Chism faces charges of attempted murder by strangulation, assault with intent to murder, kidnapping, and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, MyFox Boston reports. He was in custody at a Dorchester DYS facility when he allegedly followed the 29-year-old worker into a bathroom and started choking her and hitting her in the head and face before other staffers restrained him; he was reportedly carrying a pencil.

The attack has been said to bear "a chilling resemblance" to how Chism allegedly murdered teacher Colleen Ritzer at Danvers High School in October; he also allegedly followed her into a bathroom. After the June attack, Chism was transported to a medical facility and then the Worcester State Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. He has been charged as a youthful offender, but as the AP notes, he could face adult penalties. No arraignment date has yet been set; neither has a trial date been set for Ritzer's murder, the Boston Herald reports. Last month, court documents revealed that Chism appeared "psychotic" after the alleged attack on the DYS worker, "yelling, screaming incoherently, (and) foaming at the mouth." (More Philip Chism stories.)

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