Mass. teen accused of killing teacher charged in new assault

BOSTON - A Massachusetts teen charged with murdering his high school teacher has been indicted for allegedly assaulting a staffer at a Department of Youth Services facility in Massachusetts, reports CBS Boston.

Fifteen-year-old Philip Chism is accused of attempting to strangle a female staff member at the Metro Youth Services facility in Dorchester, Mass., on June 2, according to the station. He was formally charged Wednesday with attempted murder by strangulation, assault with intent to murder, kidnapping, and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

The suspect pleaded not guilty in December to murder, aggravated rape and armed robbery charges in the Oct. 22 killing of his high school math teacher, Colleen Ritzer, in Danvers, Mass. The 24-year-old woman's body was found in the woods near the school with her throat slit and a note, which read, "I hate you all."

Chism is being charged as an adult in that case, according to CBS Boston.

In the June incident, the Suffolk District Attorney's office said Chism followed the Youth Services staffer into a bathroom and assaulted her before co-workers heard the woman's cries for help and intervened.

CBS Boston reports the youthful offender indictment in the alleged assault opens Chism's case to the public and exposes him to penalties up to and including those faced by adult defendants if convicted, according to the district attorney's office.