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Teacher Colleen Ritzer Killed By 14-year-old Teen

Massachusetts teen charged with raping and killing his high school math teacher had a bloody box cutter and women's underwear in his backpack when he was detained, according to two police officers who testified at a hearing Friday.

Topsfield Officers Neal Hovey and Joseph DeBernardo said in court that they found Philip Chism, now 15, on a poorly lit stretch of a roadway carrying Colleen Ritzer's ID and credit cards. They were responding to reports of a suspicious person on the road. After bringing Chism back to the police station, Hovey said they found the box cutter and panties in his backpack.

The officers were testifying at a hearing where a judge is considering a request by Chism's lawyers to have his police confession suppressed.

Chism's lawyers say police coerced him into waiving his rights and making detailed statements about the murder.

Chism, 15, has been charged as an adult with murder and aggravated rape in the October 2013 slaying of Ritzer, a popular 24-year-old teacher at Danvers High School. He has pleaded not guilty.

Chism's public defender, Denise Regan, is expected to argue in Essex County Superior Court later Friday that police never properly read Chism his Miranda rights and had continued to question Chism even after he had invoked his right to remain silent and his mother had asked for a lawyer.

Regan's legal brief contends police pressured Chism's mother into helping them get a confession out of her son while he was handcuffed in a police interrogation room, according to The Salem News.

Prosecutors allege in previous court filings that on Oct. 22, 2013, Chism followed Ritzer into the girl's bathroom after school, raped her and "repeatedly asphyxiated her before or while assaulting her with a box cutter."

They said Chism put Ritzer's mutilated body in a recycling bin and dumped it in the woods. He also took Ritzer's cellphone, which he destroyed, and her wallet, which he used a credit card from to buy fast food and attend a movie at the mall later that day, according to prosecutors.

Chism has pleaded not guilty to those charges as well as to attempted murder and other charges stemming from an assault on a Department of Youth Services worker while in custody for Ritzer's murder.
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http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6444206
 
Teen Charged With Killing Danvers Teacher Appears In Court For Hearing On Confession

SALEM (AP) — A judge heard arguments and testimony Friday as defense lawyers seek to have a teenager’s police confession that he killed his math teacher kept out of his trial.


State police Detective Lt. Norman Zuk, who was among the officers that interviewed Philip Chism and his mother the night he was arrested, testified that Chism said a “trigger word” had set him off before the murder. Zuk did not say what that word was.
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http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/01/...acher-due-in-court-for-hearing-on-confession/

 
There we go again, defense attorneys doing everything they can to protect a murderer. The guilt is clear-cut in this case.

Awww, poor baby couldn't deal with a 'trigger word'? We all have to deal with them nearly every day, shithead. Oh, I forgot...you're entitled.

Another innocent life destroyed while a monster continues to breathe. I can't wait til this cocksucker is dead, one way or another.

I wish they would bring back Quartering. After they ripped the fucker's arms & legs off, I'd go over and piss on his face as he takes his last breath. That would make me really fucking happy.
 
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A teenager accused of raping and murdering his math teacher has been brought back into court while his lawyers demand the trial should change venue.

Phillip Chism, 16, allegedly strangled, sexually assaulted and slit the throat of Colleen Ritzer, 24, in a bathroom at Danvers High School in Massachusetts in October 2013 before dragging her body out in a recycling barrel and dumping her remains in nearby woods.

His attorneys say his right to a fair trial has been 'poisoned' by extensive news coverage of the criminal charges against him and the numerous tributes to the teacher that have generated 'enormous sympathy' within the community.

Police officers said he was found carrying a bloodied box cutter and Miss Ritzer's underwear in his backpack when he was arrested.
[…]
The Salem News reports that in a motion filed Monday ahead of next Tuesday's hearing on a change-of-venue request, they asked a judge to move the trial out of Essex County and the Boston area, suggesting western Massachusetts.

'The sustained coverage of the lengthy hearings on the defendant’s motion to suppress (his statement to police) has insured that a large number of residents of Essex County know that Philip Chism confessed to the crime,' the lawyers wrote.

'There is little chance of a fair trial where the fact that the defendant has confessed is widely known.'

They added that coverage and numerous faundraisers 'have created an enormous amount of sympathy' for Ritzer, and could make the jury bias.

The defense also mentioned moment of silence offered during the 2013 World Series just two days after her death.

The prosecution has not yet responded.

Chism is scheduled to stand trial in October on charges that include murder, rape and robbery.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-killing-seek-change-venue.html#ixzz3efkAVhee
 
His attorneys say his right to a fair trial has been 'poisoned' by extensive news coverage of the criminal charges against him and the numerous tributes to the teacher that have generated 'enormous sympathy' within the community.

Police officers said he was found carrying a bloodied box cutter and Miss Ritzer's underwear in his backpack when he was arrested.
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Imagine that. The community has great sympathy for the victim. Well, so do I and regardless of this little fuck's age he needs to be put away. He's bound to be a psychopath that can't be fixed.
 
Satanica said:
Imagine that. The community has great sympathy for the victim. Well, so do I and regardless of this little fuck's age he needs to be put away. He's bound to be a psychopath that can't be fixed.
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I was going to say the same thing. But let me add: I'd also like to skin this fucker alive, dump him in a tub of alcohol, rip out his eyes and shove them up his ass, and then feed him into a wood chipper - feet first - with the machine set to "slow."

I can't think of torture suitably torturous enough for this entitled little pussy motherfucker. Damn bastard. He doesn't deserve shit except a slow agonizing death. I'm just sick of these depraved motherfuckers & their attorneys thinking they deserve more than was given the victim. "Poisoned" my ass. Just get this little fucker into prison so he can begin to endure his punishment.
 
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rod2pop said:
I was going to say the same thing. But let me add: I'd also like to skin this fucker alive, dump him in a tub of alcohol, rip out his eyes and shove them up his ass, and then feed him into a wood chipper - feet first - with the machine set to "slow."

I can't think of torture suitably torturous enough for this entitled little pussy motherfucker. Damn bastard. He doesn't deserve shit except a slow agonizing death. I'm just sick of these depraved motherfuckers & their attorneys thinking they deserve more than was given the victim. "Poisoned" my ass. Just get this little fucker into prison so he can begin to endure his punishment.
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Racist!


Free Trayvon!
 
Philip Chism, then 14, was charged in her killing, shocking students and teachers who knew Ritzer as a bubbly, enthusiastic teacher and Chism as a quiet boy and standout soccer player who had recently moved to Massachusetts from Tennessee.

Two years later, Chism is headed to trial as an adult on rape, robbery and murder charges. Jury selection begins Wednesday in Essex Superior Court in Salem.

Chism's lawyers plan to use a mental health defense, although they have not revealed specifics. His mother told police her son had been under stress following her divorce from his father and their move from Clarksville, Tennessee, to Danvers, a town of 26,000 about 25 miles north of Boston.

A student who was in Ritzer's class with Chism said he was drawing in a notebook instead of taking notes on Oct. 22, 2013.

"She came over and said, 'I didn't know you draw,' and he said, 'yes,' then later on, she said, 'Can you stay after with me?'" Rania Rhaddaoui said two days after Ritzer's body was found.

Another student who was in the classroom after school that day said she heard Ritzer and Chism talking. The student, whose name was blocked out in court documents, told police that when Ritzer mentioned Tennessee, Chism appeared "visibly upset." When Ritzer noticed his reaction, she changed the subject, but the student said Chism then began talking to himself.

Chism's lawyers have retained, Dr. Richard Dudley Jr., a well-known forensic psychiatrist, to testify as an expert. Dudley has testified for a collection of high-profile defendants, including Joshua Komisarjevsky, one of two men convicted in the 2007 murders of a Connecticut woman and her two daughters; Brian Nichols, the Georgia man who killed a judge and three other people after escaping during his 2005 rape trial; and Colin Ferguson, the Long Island railroad shooter who killed six people and wounded 19 others in 1993.

Insanity defenses rarely succeed in Massachusetts, but some legal observers say Chism's youth might make some jurors more willing to consider a mental health defense.

"I would really think that youth is going to be a huge factor. Part of the argument would be that Chism couldn't control whatever disease or defect he had," said Daniel Medwed, a law professor at Northeastern University.

"I assume the defense will tie it into research on adolescent brain development, in particular, adolescents have a difficult time calculating the future and having a sense of the ramifications on their future lives."

Prosecutors are expected to show the jury school surveillance video in which they say Chism is seen following Ritzer into a school bathroom, wearing gloves and a hood, then walking out of the bathroom alone 12 minutes later.

The video also shows Chism pulling a recycling barrel through the school and outside, according to search warrant documents filed in court. The barrel was found near Ritzer's body. Authorities said she was sexually assaulted twice, once with a stick.

Chism was found hours later, walking along Route 1 in neighboring Topsfield. Police there found a box cutter with blood on it inside Chism's backpack. During a pretrial hearing, an officer testified that when Chism was asked whose blood it was, he replied, "It's the girl's."

Chism also had Ritzer's identification, credit cards and a pair of women's underwear in his backpack.

Prosecutors are expected to present that evidence to the jury, but they won't be allowed to tell the jury about a confession he allegedly gave to Danvers police. Judge David Lowy ruled that Chism did not fully understand his constitutional rights before he spoke to them.
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https://www.yahoo.com/news/trial-begin-teen-charged-teachers-rape-killing-145802258.html
 
Judge David Lowy ruled that Chism did not fully understand his constitutional rights before he spoke to them.

Fuck that bullshit. I'm pretty damn sure he fully understood it's wrong to murder another human being. Stop protecting these fucking pieces of worthless entitled shit.
 
rod2pop said:
Judge David Lowy ruled that Chism did not fully understand his constitutional rights before he spoke to them.

Fuck that bullshit. I'm pretty damn sure he fully understood it's wrong to murder another human being. Stop protecting these fucking pieces of worthless entitled shit.
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I think the judge means his understanding as far as right to counsel goes or even having his parents present during questioning.
 
After initially hoping to avoid it, a Salem Superior Court judge decided Thursday to send Philip Chism to a hospital for a competency evaluation that a Department of Mental Health doctor told him could take as long as 40 days.


Judge David Lowy acknowledged that proceeding with a trial while there are unanswered questions about the teenager's mental competency would lead to a reversal of any conviction in the case "in about two sentences."

"It would have been an error of the court of Constitutional dimensions," said Lowy. "The integrity of the trial would have been in question."

Lowy said he wants the evaluation done "as expeditiously as possible," and is asking the Department of Mental Health to report to him as soon as they know how long the evaluation will take. He will then have to decide whether to postpone the trial.

Chism, 16, appeared in court for the first time since Tuesday, mostly sitting with his head bowed at the defense table.
[...]
Ritzer's parents have attended nearly every court proceeding during the past two years. The strain of this latest development was evident as they left court.

Chism's mother, Dianna, meanwhile, has frequently been seen doubled over in apparent distress, including during the testimony of a Juvenile Court psychologist, Colleen McMillan, as she described Chism as expressing suicidal thoughts and telling her he wished someone would come to court and shoot him.
(Me and you both you little fucker)

Prosecutors are openly skeptical, however, noting that their own expert, psychologist Robert Kinscherff, completed an evaluation of Chism on Monday and observed none of the behaviors that Chism engaged in on Tuesday. Those behaviors also included banging his head on the floor and claiming to hear a voice.

Chism "has a history of manipulation to get what he wants," said prosecutor Kate MacDougall, citing a prior mental health evaluation that was conducted while Chism was awaiting trial.
(Nope, not shocked at all he's a good liar. Most sociopaths are.)
Prosecutors filed two motions on Thursday, one seeking an order to the Trial Court security department to turn over surveillance videos of Chism in a holding area on both Tuesday and Wednesday, and a second motion seeking to have an expert, Dr. Martin Kelly, appointed to evaluate Chism independent of the state hospital evaluation.

Both she and the judge also cited the impact of a delay on the families of both Ritzer and Chism, as well as on the schedules of dozens of witnesses, and even Danvers High School, which was planning to close school for a day so that jurors could take a view of the scene.

In addition, some 70 potential jurors are now in limbo, waiting to learn whether they will report back to court next Wednesday.

"The Commonwealth's fears have come to fruition," said MacDougall.

"I'm not quite sure what purpose the accusations of the Commonwealth serve," said defense lawyer Denise Regan, who has repeatedly insisted on a full evaluation of Chism at a hospital.
(Don't be salty coz the prosecution knew what y'all would do.)

As late as Wednesday afternoon, Lowy said he was hopeful that an evaluation could be done in court based on prior reports from the expert witnesses for the prosecution and defense, a psychologist and a psychiatrist respectively.

But after speaking to Dr. Debra Pinals, a deputy commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, and with legal counsel for the Department of Youth Services, as well as conducting some legal research, Lowy concluded that he had no choice.

Security concerns

Much of Thursday's hearing was given over to discussion of where to send Chism; DYS does not have a facility where Chism could be monitored at the required level, and the DMH has just two facilities available, Bridgewater State Hospital, which does not accept minors, and the Worcester Recovery Center, formerly Worcester State Hospital.
(I say send him to hell in a handbasket, but that's just me.)
The judge ultimately decided to send Chism to Worcester. But he issued an order intended to address security concerns raised by prosecutors.

Worcester, where Chism has previously spent time, is not considered a "strict security" facility.

The judge ordered the hospital not to allow Chism to leave the facility for any purpose without a court order, and that in the event of a medical emergency, the Essex County sheriff's department must be notified.

The court has not scheduled another hearing in the case, but has said that it will notify jury pool members by Wednesday if they are returning to the case.
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http://m.eagletribune.com/news/chis...8d7-4fa5-5ca4-b057-df4a8eddde30.html?mode=jqm
 
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http://news.yahoo.com/massachusetts...-murdering-high-school-teacher-133031448.html

Massachusetts prosecutors on Monday are set to open their case against a 16-year-old charged with raping and murdering a popular teacher at his suburban high school two years ago.

Defense attorneys are expected to mount an insanity defense to account for his actions on Oct. 22, 2013, when he was a 14-year-old freshman.

Prosecutors are expected to argue that Chism was upset by a conversation he had with Ritzer and that he was aware of his actions. Chism is also accused of taking Ritzer’s credit card, which prosecutors say he later used to buy fast food and a ticket to a movie at a nearby mall.

Chism is being charged as an adult under Massachusetts law for first-degree murder. He has also been charged as a juvenile for two counts of aggravated rape and armed robbery.

If found guilty of first-degree murder, he would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The start of the trial at Essex County Superior Court was delayed when lawyers for Chism reported that he had experienced a mental disturbance and questioned whether he was fit to stand trial. Following a competency evaluation, Judge David Lowy ruled earlier this month that Chism had "sufficient present ability" for the trial to continue.

Jury selection has also been a lengthy process, as prosecutors and defense attorneys queried hundreds of potential jurors on their willingness to accept an insanity defense.
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The latest on the trial of a Massachusetts teenager charged with raping and killing his high school math teacher. (All times local):

12:40 p.m.

A police officer has told a jury that a teenager on trial for killing his math teacher told him about a girl buried in the woods.

Topsfield Officer Joseph DeBernardo testified Monday during the trial of Philip Chism in the 2013 killing of Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer.

DeBernardo said he and another officer found a box cutter with blood on it in Chism's backpack. DeBernardo said when they asked whose blood it was, Chism said, "the girl's."

DeBernardo said when he asked Chism where the girl was, he said she was "buried in the woods."

"I asked him if we get to her, could we help her? He stated no," DeBernardo said.

Ritzer was stabbed with a box cutter and raped twice.

Chism's lawyer admitted during opening statements that her client killed Ritzer, but said he was severely mentally ill.

___

11:15 a.m.

A police officer has described finding a bloody box cutter inside the backpack of a Massachusetts teenager later charged with killing his high school math teacher.

Topsfield Officer Neal Hovey testified Monday as one of the first witnesses in Philip Chism's trial. Chism was 14 when Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer was killed.

Hovey says he spotted Chism walking along a highway and brought him to a police station. He says inside Chism's backpack investigators found a bloody box cutter in a woman's wallet. Hovey testified that when he asked Chism whose blood it was, he replied, "It's the girl's."

Ritzer's body was found in the woods near the high school.

Now 16, Chism is being tried as an adult. His lawyer told jurors Monday that Chism killed Ritzer but that he was suffering from a psychotic disorder.

___

10 a.m.

A lawyer for the Massachusetts teenager charged with raping and killing his high school math teacher told a jury that he killed her and "did unspeakable things to her body."

Philip Chism was 14 when ninth-grade Danvers High School math teacher Colleen Ritzer was found near the school with her throat slit.

He is now 16 and being tried as an adult in Essex Superior Court in Salem.

Chism's lawyer, Denise Regan, began her opening statement Monday by telling the jury, "Philip Chism killed Colleen Ritzer."

Regan said Chism, who had moved to Massachusetts from Tennessee, was "severely mentally ill," and had suffered from a psychotic disorder since the age of 10.

___

9:30 a.m.

A prosecutor in the trial of a Massachusetts teenager charged with raping and killing his high school math teacher has told a jury that the boy went to school on the day she died with a "terrible purpose:" to kill his teacher.

During opening statements in the trial of Philip Chism, a prosecutor calmly described Chism's movements on Oct. 22, 2013. She said Chism came to school with a backpack containing a box cutter, gloves and a mask. She said Chism followed Colleen Ritzer into the girls' bathroom after school, then strangled her, cut her throat with the box cutter, raped and killed her.
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https://www.yahoo.com/news/prosecutor-massachusetts-teen-had-terrible-purpose-145813316.html
 
Hovey said he was initially relieved because he believed police had found the missing teen and would be able to bring him home safely to his parents.

But when police asked Chism if he had anything dangerous in his backpack, he said yes. When they searched it, they found a woman's wallet with the bloody box cutter inside. Hovey said he asked Chism whose blood it was and he responded, "It's the girl's."

Topsfield police officer Joseph DeBernardo said he asked Chism if he knew where the girl was.

"He stated that she was buried in the woods," DeBernardo said.

During opening arguments, prosecutor Kate MacDougall said on the day of Ritzer’s death, Ritzer made herself available to students who needed extra help. Chism was one of the students who stayed behind.

At the end of the meeting, Chism followed Ritzer into a bathroom, where he raped and murdered her, MacDougall said.

He later returned with a recycling tote barrel, prosecutors said, which he allegedly used to discard Ritzer’s body in the woods near the school. Chism later used Ritzer’s credit card to buy food and a ticket to see a movie.

“Philip Chism killed Colleen Ritzer and did unspeakable things to her body,” Defense attorney Denise Regan said in her opening statements.

Regan said Chism has suffered from a serious psychotic disorder since he was 10 years old, and often avoided his parents so they would not ask what was wrong.

She said when Chism moved from Tennessee to Massachusetts, his disease got worse.

“It was the fellow students at Danvers High School who noticed a change in Philip,” Regan said. “The day before the terrible events, a member of the soccer team noticed Philip starring off into space.”

The trial was delayed for three weeks while Chism underwent a psychological exam that determined he is competent to stand trial.
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http://m.wcvb.com/news/opening-arguments-to-begin-in-teacher-murder-trial/36471702
 
http://news.yahoo.com/mom-slain-math-teacher-testifies-frantic-search-160434745.html

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.

Regan said in court Monday that Chism killed Ritzer but isn't criminally responsible because he is mentally ill.
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Ritzer's mother testified earlier Tuesday about the day her daughter was killed.

Peggie Ritzer said her daughter had a consistent routine and came home every day at 3:30 p.m.

When she didn't that day, the family at first thought she had made other plans or been in an accident.

They began to worry when she wasn't home for dinner, wasn't answering her cellphone and hadn't posted on Facebook. They tried contacting her friends and other teachers.

Her husband went to the high school and found his daughter's car still in the parking lot.

"At that point we started to get very upset," Peggie Ritzer said.

Police later found her body in the woods behind the school.

The defense did not cross-examine Peggie Ritzer.
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probably the defense counsel's best decision all day.
 
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To me, it doesn't matter if you're "mental" or not. If you commit such a heinous crime as this, you should be locked away the rest of your life. I just can't see how the rest of us would ever be safe if he wasn't.
 
Did I miss in any of this that his parents have tried their best to get him help? Surely this wasn't his first time acting out due to his mental illness.
 
Satanica said:
Did I miss in any of this that his parents have tried their best to get him help? Surely this wasn't his first time acting out due to his mental illness.
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Yes, I don't see how they know he has been psychotic since age 10. He was diagnosed? Or is it 20/20 hindsight? We need more facts on this one.
This kid is messed up, and often there is no fix. Lock him up forever.
 
More news about the trial:

http://news.yahoo.com/mom-slain-math-teacher-testifies-frantic-search-160434745.html

It states, in part, "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."

Awww...about to explode. Really?? Should we be scared?

I'd love to see the lame fuck try to explode on me...he'd have exactly 30 seconds of life left.

I really wanna see this worthless motherfucker fry. He's another two-bit pussy whose sense of entitlement made him feel tough when beating & murdering a woman, and is now trying to save his own scared ass with his "mental incompetency" bullshit or whatever it is.

Just kill this asshole.
 
That video hurts the defense, at least if I was on a jury. THAT is not criminally insane! He peeks out of the classroom, checking the hall. He puts his hood up to hide his face. He watched her walk into the bathroom.

No. That was deliberate, calculated intent. He knew exactly what he was about to go do.

Sometimes I feel bad for the young ones, kids arrested because they are a product of their environment. Doing drive bys or caught up in gangs.

This little fucker is dangerous.
 
So, I haven't done any extra reading so maybe this is in other articles... but was he acquitted of the second rape charge because she was dead for his round 2? I assume you can't rape a corpse, but fortunately it is not an issue I have ever had the distinct pleasure of considering before.
 
How's that entitlement working out for you now, Bitch?

However, the possibility of his getting out in 15 - 25 years bothers me. That cocksucking little bastard shouldn't see the light of day again, ever. Hopefully, he'll get some genuine punishment in jail and hopefully die there.
 
rod2pop said:
How's that entitlement working out for you now, Bitch?

However, the possibility of his getting out in 15 - 25 years bothers me. That cocksucking little bastard shouldn't see the light of day again, ever. Hopefully, he'll get some genuine punishment in jail and hopefully die there.
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It's only a possibility, though. It'll have to be okayed by the parole board, and with a case like this, he'd have to be a model prisoner for all those years before they would even begin to consider it. With tendencies like he has, I imagine he's got a snowball's chance in hell.
 
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