(NECN: Kathryn Sotnik, Worcester, Mass.) - NECN is learning frightening new details about accused teacher killer Philip Chism's alleged attack earlier this month on a female DYS worker at a Dorchester youth facility.
Chism is now being temporarily housed at the Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital, previously known as Worcester State Hospital.
The new details, though, are strikingly similar to Colleen Ritzer's murder.
Court documents say Chism followed the female counselor from a downtime room into a locker/bathroom area equipped with a pencil.
He then allegedly cornered her in a staff bathroom, choked and beat her until other staff intervened.
In his attempts to not be seen, the Essex County District Attorney's office says Chism was "creeping along a common hallway crouched down."
The Essex County District Attorney's office says DYS has now sent him to Worcester for 30 days to evaluated, but say they have "Serious concerns regarding the safety of staff, patients and the public while the defendant is housed at Worcester State Hospital."
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Gary Vecchio lives right near the hospital, and is president of the Shrewsbury neighborhood association.
He was also president of the board of trustees for the hospital for more than a dozen years.
He believes Chism is now in the right place, and is not concerned for the public or his neighborhood.
"Considering how close my neighborhood is to Worcester State Hospital, if I had any concerns, I certainly would be voicing them," said Vecchio. "With the 13 years I served on the board, and knowing that these types of patients have been dealt with for decades, I think they're more than capable of handling him and I think it's an appropriate place for him."
In the Ritzer case, Chism allegedly followed his math teacher into the Danvers high bathroom after school, raping and killing her.
The Essex Co DAs office says in the latest case, they're also concerned that, while the Worcester State Hospital has a locked perimeter and individual floors are locked, that movement on the floors is not restricted.
The Department of Mental Health says:
"Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital is a new state-of-the-art, locked mental health treatment facility with controlled perimeter security. All of the units all monitored by staff 24/7. Patients admitted for court-ordered evaluations are limited to certain areas and never allowed independent access to any part of the facility."
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