Lawyers For Danvers Teen Charged With Killing Teacher Want Case Dismissed

Lawyers for a Danvers teenager charged with raping and killing his math teacher plan to ask a judge to dismiss the charges.

Attorneys for 16-year-old Philip Chism told a judge Monday that they plan file a motion to dismiss, which will be argued at a hearing scheduled for Aug. 12.

The Salem News reports that defense attorneys say they also plan to file a motion to suppress nearly all of the evidence in the case, including the initial stop of Chism as he walked along U.S. Route 1 in the hours after the killing and statements he made to investigators.

Chism is charged with robbing, raping and killing 24-year-old Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer last October, then leaving her body in a wooded area near the school.