The murder trial of a teenager charged with
killing his math teacher ended early Tuesday when he told his lawyer he was
"about to explode" and refused to go back into the courtroom.
Denise Regan, a lawyer for 16-year-old Philip
Chism, told the Salem Superior Court judge that her client was shaking,
twitching and mumbling and told her "he's about to explode and ... doesn't
want to hurt anyone."
Witnesses were describing some of the
blood-stained evidence in the case at the time.
The judge at first called a recess, then
ended proceedings about an hour earlier than scheduled after trying
unsuccessfully to speak to Chism himself. He then called for a psychological
evaluation.
Chism, who had moved to Massachusetts from
Clarksville, Tennessee, shortly before starting high school, has pleaded not
guilty to murder and other charges in the October 2013 slaying of 24-year-old
Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer. Chism was 14 at the time.
Regan said in court Monday that Chism killed
Ritzer but isn't criminally responsible because he is mentally ill.
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