Correction: An earlier version of this story contained a headline that implied to some readers Colleen Ritzer was a teacher who worked in Andover. Andover News regrets the error.
Philip Chism, who raped and killed Andover native and Danvers High School math teacher Colleen Ritzer in 2013, appeared before the state Supreme Judicial Court Wednesday hoping to get his conviction vacated.
Chism, now 25, was 14 when he received a life sentence for the murder charge with the possibility of parole after 25 years. He also received a concurrent 40-year sentence for the aggravated rape charge. His lawyers argue he deserves a new trial because the sentence amounts to life without parole and violates Article 26 of the state constitution.
Ritzer’s family released a statement saying Chism is beyond rehabilitation.
“For more than a decade, we have fought tirelessly for justice for Colleen, but there can never truly be justice for the life that was stolen from us,” Ritzer’s family said in a statement. “Colleen and our family will not be afforded a second chance. If we live in a just society, neither should he.”