Testimony in the trial of the Danvers, Massachusetts, teen accused of raping and killing his teacher continued Thursday.
Two Danvers High School students testified, including one who spoke of Philip Chism's demeanor on the day he allegedly murdered 24-year-old teacher Colleen Ritzer.
"He didn't seem very happy," said the student, who stayed after school on Oct. 22, 2013, in the classroom with Ritzer and Chism. She said Ritzer and Chism were talking about their families, and Chism looked angry and annoyed.
Another student testified about seeing someone in the woods struggling with a recycling bin.
Two school custodians also testified Thursday about finding blood all over the bathroom where Ritzer was killed.
"I had never seen anything like it," one custodian said. "It was like a slaughterhouse."
Kelley King, a forensic scientist with the Massachusetts State Police, testified about finding Ritzer's body behind the high school and bloodstains inside the school bathroom. She displayed several items found near Ritzer's body, including a black sock, a backpack and white gloves.
Massachusetts
The latest news from around the state
Court adjourned for the day around 1 p.m. Thursday.
Chism, 16, who had moved to Massachusetts from Tennessee shortly before starting high school, has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in the October 2013 slaying of Ritzer. Chism was 14 at the time but is being tried as an adult.
In court Wednesday, jurors were shown school surveillance video of Ritzer before she was found dead. The acting police chief in Danvers was among the first to see the footage.
Prosecutors said Chism followed Ritzer into the bathroom before allegedly slitting her throat, raping and stabbing her to death.
Chism's attorney has said his client killed Ritzer but isn't criminally responsible because he is mentally ill.
