Sort and scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences

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The leptism had a box card

The leptism wanted to use that box card

Welcome to season 4, episode 88 of Sword and Scale. A show that reveals that the worst monsters are real.

This is part 2 of a two-part story. So if this is your first time listening, go back and listen episode 87 first before we spoil it for you.

Last time on Sword and Scale, we dove into a mystery. A 14 year old boy goes missing after school and at the same time a math teacher from the same high school is reported missing as well.

Hours later, a body is discovered in the woods. But what on earth could possibly turn a young high school student who everyone says is polite and well-mannered, talented, friendly and athletic to suddenly without provocation become a monster.

We're going to try and dissect that answer today and to do so, we're joined by Boston Globe reporter Maria Kramer. Stay with us.

Ladies and gentlemen, the terrible, horrible events of October 22, 2013 didn't unfold in a screen capture. They didn't unfold in a still image. They happened in real time in real life at Danvers High School in the middle of what should have been a normal day in the middle of the afternoon.

And make no mistake, they didn't happen to Philip Chisholm. He did these terrible things to Colleen Ritzer and she was only 24 years old. And the only still image that matters in this case is the image of Colleen in the woods.

The image that the defendant painted of Colleen strict, battered, brutalized and violated, framed by the fallen fence. The defendant's school bag discarded nearby with his ID like some kind of terrible signature.

That is the only still image in this case that tells you what was happening in the mind of Philip Chisholm on October 22, 2013.

This is Sarah Giacuenta. Good morning, ma'am. Can you please state your first and last names for the jury? Sarah Giacuenta?

She's the wife of Andrew Giacuenta, who found Colleen's body. She was also a math teacher whose classroom was across the hall from Colleen's.

And were there a number of math new math teachers that year in September of 2012? Yes, there were four of us. And who were those four?

Colleen Ritzer, Todd Butterworth, Christopher Carlson and myself.

And Colleen started working together at Danvers High School and became good friends. And how often during the school day would you see Colleen?

Quite a few times, four or five, maybe more. Under what circumstances would you see miss Ritzer during the day?

Just check-ins usually at the beginning of the school day to say hello. We would have lunch together.

Sometimes in between classes, if we had a moment, usually during a free block, if we had lunch together, we would spend it together.

The day Colleen was murdered, they had come to work wearing the same outfit. It was dressed like your friend day for Spirit Week, black pants and a purple shirt.

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