At The Hands of The Student: The Murder of Colleen Ritzer

When Phillip Chism, 14, doesn't come home from school, his mother calls the police to report him missing. As the town begins to look for the 9th grader, word spreads around town that a 24-year-old teacher, Colleen Ritzer, is also missing. Chism is found walking along a road just after midnight. After a quick search of his backpack,  he is arrested. Later in the morning, Colleen Ritzer's body is found on school grounds, sexually positioned with a folded note next to her body that says, "I hate you all." Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack break down the story of the student from Tennessee and the horrifying final moments in the life of Colleen Ritzer.   Transcription Highlights  00:01:00 Introduction of location, suspect, and victim  00:02:53 Suspect is student, 14, victim is a teacher  00:04:04 Discussion of suspect family  00:08:22 Talk about motive and possible “trigger”  00:11:49 Discussion of why victim went to public bathroom  00:15:28 Discussion of witness and surveillance video  00:19:07 Talk about investigation, pinging cell phones  00:21:47 Discussion of suspect on surveillance video   00:27:25 Talk about body being covered   00:30:36 Breaking down the evidence  00:34:35 Discussion of sentence See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Join Joseph Scott Morgan every week as he explores a world that not many have had a chance to visit, the realm of death. Jo Scott will lead listeners on a journey through the blood soaked death scenes of America and then into the autopsy room to fully understand the science behind each case. Jo Scott is one America’s leading experts on applied forensics and is regularly featured on ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’, ‘The Piketon Massacre’, Court TV and more. Theme Music: Audio Network