Teen Pleads Not Guilty in Rape, Murder of Teacher Colleen Ritzer

A teenager charged with raping and murdering a Danvers High School teacher last year pleaded not guilty to one of several charges in court Tuesday.

Philip Chism, 15, of Danvers, pleaded not guilty to aggravated rape, the Boston Globe reported. In January, he pleaded not guilty to another aggravated rape charge.

Prosecutors said Chism raped Danvers High School math teacher Colleen Ritzer twice in a bathroom at the school on Oct. 22. He then allegedly dumped her body in the woods behind the school.

Ritzer, 24, was from Andover. Chism was one of her students.

The Salem News reported Chism's lawyers plan to ask a judge to drop the charges.

Earlier this month, thousands of people attended a memorial road race for Ritzer that raised money for a scholarship fund in her name.