Chism, then 14, admitted during the early morning hours of Oct. 23 to killing Colleen Ritzer the prior afternoon. The admission came after he met privately with his mother and the pair signed a form waiving the teen’s Miranda rights, according to testimony and court documents.

SALEM — Philip D. Chism told investigators he used a karate chop to subdue his math teacher in a Danvers High School bathroom on Oct. 22, 2013, covered her mouth, and then twice dragged a box cutter across her neck, inflicting a fatal wound on the second try, a detective testified Friday.

Philip Chism’s lawyers contended that he was not properly informed of his rights against self-incrimination during his initial interactions with police.

One officer testified Chism became angered by a “trigger word” during his encounter with Ritzer. The teen told officers he struck a “meridian point” the second time he cut her neck, said Danvers police Detective Sergeant Philip Tansey said.


“He said he karate-chopped her neck, which rendered her unconscious,” Tansey said. “He talked about putting his hand on her mouth, and then he talked about dragging that box cutter across her neck without it causing any injury and then he said the second time [he hit] the meridian point.”

Colleen Ritzer. Uncredited

The account was given during the second day of a motion hearing in Essex Superior Court as defense attorneys for Chism, now 15, seek to have some of the evidence collected by police thrown out of his upcoming trial for Ritzer’s killing.

His lawyers contend the high school freshman never gave up his Miranda rights during his initial interactions with police and invoked his right to remain silent.

Officers, they said, manipulated his mother into encouraging her son to speak with investigators.

Chism’s attorneys argued that a jury should not be allowed to consider statements he allegedly made or evidence collected during those early encounters with police.

The hearing began Jan. 9 and resumed Friday. Testimony is scheduled to continue Jan. 29.


Prosecutors allege Chism killed the 24-year-old Ritzer in a Danvers High bathroom, then put her body into a recycling bin and dragged it into woods near the school. Ritzer suffered massive injuries to her neck, prosecutors said. The teen is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated rape and is being tried as an adult. He has pleaded not guilty.

Chism gave statements to police in Danvers and Topsfield, where officers had found him walking along Route 1, hours after both he and Ritzer had been reported missing.

He was later taken to the Danvers police station where officers let Chism and his mother, Diana, meet privately. They joined mother and son and read Chism his rights against self-incrimination. Tansey said Chism was not distraught or crying, but refused to look at his mother.

During this session, Chism agreed to speak with the police, but on the condition his mother leave the room, according to the defense motion seeking to have evidence thrown out. A recording of the conversation Diana Chism had with officers after her son’s interview was played in court.

An investigator told Diana Chism that her son said he wanted to “escape.”

“He said, I don’t want anyone’s help. I want to escape,” the officer said. The investigator then told Chism’s mother her son claimed he wanted to go to jail.

Diana Chism responded: “He wants to escape from his life?”

“I guess. Yeah. It’s unfortunate,” the investigator told her. “But I just wanted it clear that we gave you that opportunity to consult with him and then he didn’t want your help. And he’s a very bright boy. Would you agree?”


While speaking with investigators, Chism helped officers create three different diagrams, according to Tansey. In one diagram showing a map of Danvers High School, Chism made a mark and labeled it “body” to denote where Ritzer was located, Tansey said. In another diagram, Chism drew two lines on a drawing of a neck to indicate injuries to Ritzer, Tansey said.

Chism was asked whether he sexually assaulted Ritzer and denied it, Tansey said.

Another witness, State Police Detective Lieutenant Norman Zuk, testified that Chism told officers that he was angered by a “trigger word” during his encounter with Ritzer, but would not reveal the word.

While Tansey delivered his testimony, Diana Chism sat in the rear of the courtroom clutching a woman seated next to her. Ritzer’s mother, Peggie, wept at different times during the hearing as police detailed what happened to her daughter.

An expert witness called by the defense discussed research into juveniles and their understanding of their rights against self-incrimination, but said he had not met or evaluated Chism.

Thomas Grisso, retired director of the Law and Psychiatry Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, said his studies on Miranda warnings found that some adults and “quite a number” of adolescents did not understand the right to remain silent.

He also testified that no research has been done on how adolescents make decisions during police interrogations, including the decision to waive rights against self-incrimination.


More coverage of the Chism case:

Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com. Follow her Twitter @lauracrimaldi.