A murder case that rocked the town of Danvers, Massachusetts, is back in court.
On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will hear new arguments in the Philip Chism murder case. Chism, now 25, was convicted of raping and killing Danvers High School math teacher Colleen Ritzer in 2013 when he was 14 years old. He is currently serving a 25-year sentence for murder and 40 years and one day for raping and robbing her.
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But even though the murder sentence makes Chism eligible for parole after 25 years, he will not be eligible for 40 years because of the two other convictions. On Wednesday, his lawyers will say that's essentially giving him a life sentence, violating the state's constitution.
Article 26 grants parole eligibility after 25 years if a reasonable possibility of rehabilitation is established. Now, Chism's lawyers say the judge never gave them chance to present evidence that would prove that, violating his rights. They will present those arguments to the Supreme Judicial Court on Wednesday in hopes of getting Chism resentenced.
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