Colleen Ritzer Murder: Philip Chism, 14-year-old suspect, went to movie, used teacher's credit card night of slaying, report says
(CBS) DANVERS, Mass. - Philip Chism, the 14-year-old Danvers High School student who is charged with killing his math teacher, Colleen Ritzer, bought a ticket that night to see Woody Allen's new movie, "Blue Jasmine," a local theater manager says, reports CBS Boston.
The station also reports that sources say Chism used Ritzer's credit card in the hours after she was killed on Tuesday.
Surveillance video reportedly shows Chism entering a local movie theater at around 4:15 p.m., paying $8 in cash for a ticket and then leaving at about 6:15p.m. after the movie ended, manager Scott Przybycien said, CBS Boston reported.
Police picked up Chism early Wednesday, as he walked along Route 1 in neighboring Topsfield.
Chism appeared briefly in court Wednesday for arraignment on a murder chargeand was ordered held without bail. His attorney declined to comment outside court and did not return a call Thursday seeking comment.
Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Bodgett has said the 24-year-old Ritzer's body was found early Wednesday morning in the woods behind Danvers High School. She had been reported missing Tuesday night.
Prior to discovering the body, investigators found blood in a second floor bathroom of the high school, the D.A. said.
Rania Rhaddaui, a student who sat two seats from Chism in Ritzer's math class, says Chism was drawing in a notebook rather than taking notes Tuesday. Rhaddaoui says she heard Ritzer ask Chism to stay after class, the last period of the school day.
Sources tell CBS Boston that a box cutter was used to kill Ritzer and that her body was carried out of the school in a recycling bin.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the murder and have not publicly confirmed how the teacher was killed or what the motive may have been.
On Friday, classes resumed at Danvers High School. Extra safety measures were to be in place to reassure returning students.
CBS Boston reports a U.S. flag flew at half-staff outside the school, while a row of six trees outside the front entrance were adorned with pink ribbons, Ritzer's favorite color.
An electronic sign scrolled one of her favorite sayings: "No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind."