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A 15-year-old boy from Massachusetts has come clean about brutally killing his 24-year-old math teacher, according to police. Philip Chism was just 14 in October when he allegedly attacked Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer in a school bathroom and raped and killed her before dragging her body off into the woods. Since then, police say he has admitted to killing the teacher, but denies having committed a sexual assault or touching Ritzer in a sexual manner. He is being held without bail while cops continue to investigate -- and work to obtain a search warrant to check Philip's cellphone, which they believe could unlock the truth behind the crime.
If you recall, the details that emerged after this horrific crime were gruesome and difficult to link with a boy so young. Police say a surveillance video shows Philip following the teacher into a bathroom, where he allegedly slashed her throat with a box cutter and carried her out to the nearby woods in a recycling barrel. The young woman's body was found beside a note that said, "I hate you all."
Although he denied any sexual contact with his teacher, prosecutors say they have evidence that the teen's DNA matches biological evidence collected from Ritzer's body. A second count of aggravated rape was filed against Philip last week.
After the alleged attack, Philip confessed to police that he destroyed both his and his teacher's phones prior to taking in a movie at a nearby theater because he didn't want cops to track him using GPS. But authorities believe there may be another reason why he ruined and tried to hide the devices -- they suspect he took incriminating photos of the victim in order to "memorialize" the death, something they claim isn't unusual.
Obviously, there are still so many unanswered questions here. Will police actually find evidence on Philip's phone that link him to rape? What was his motive in committing this heinous crime? What would drive a young kid to do something so horrific?
Have you been following this case? What do you think of the latest details that have emerged?
Image via Tex Texin/Flickr
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