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| Danvers, MA/ Flickr CC via Jimmy Emerson |
Colleen Ritzer, a 24 year old teacher in Danvers, Massachusetts, was slain earlier this month. Her body was found in the woods near the high school where she taught math. A 14 year old student, Philip Chism, has been charged with her murder. Chism is currently being held without bail and will be tried as an adult. Steve Malzberg asked Kendall Coffey about the legal perspective of trying teenagers who commit violent crimes as adults.
The other murder discussed was the appeal of Michael Skakel, a nephew of Robert Kennedy, serving prison time for a murder committed over 30 years ago. Skakel is appealing on the ground of ineffective assistance from his defense attorney. The murder of Martha Moxley occurred when Skakel was 15.
“The perspective of the law has shifted quite a bit over the last 30 years. It’s not just about the so-called alleged offender, but the victims. This 24 year old teacher was apparently was absolutely loved, appreciated and respected, and there’s no difference in a brutal murder whether it was a child or an adult," said Coffey.
The former U.S. attorney Kendall Coffey continued, "That’s part of the perspective, but the other thing is just recognition that young offenders commit terrible crimes and seem capable of making the choices. Over the years, it used to be that the average killer was in their twenties. Now a lot of alleged killers are in their teens. So the system, to really deal with that kind of threat needs to recognize that someone who is able to carry out a brutal premeditated plan like this has the sufficient capabilities to be accountable as an adult.”
See the video of the interview below.
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