Chism Lawyers Seek Change of Venue

Chism is scheduled to stand trial in October on charges that include murder, rape and robbery in the October 2013 death of Colleen Ritzer

Lawyers for a Massachusetts teenager charged with killing his math teacher say their client's right to a fair trial has been "poisoned" by extensive news coverage not only of the criminal charges against him, but of the numerous tributes to the teacher.

The Salem News reports that in a motion filed Monday ahead of next Tuesday's hearing on a change-of-venue request, lawyers for 16-year-old Philip Chism asked a judge to move the trial out of Essex County and the Boston area, suggesting western Massachusetts.

The prosecution has not yet responded.

Chism is scheduled to stand trial in October on charges that include murder, rape and robbery in the October 2013 death of Colleen Ritzer, a 24-year-old math teacher at Danvers High School. Chism, 14 at the time, has pleaded not guilty.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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