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UPDATE: Teen who killed teacher gets life with chance for parole

FILE - This Dec. 14, 2015, file photo shows Philip Chism appearing in Salem Superior Court, during closing arguments. The Massachusetts teenager convicted of raping and killing his high school math teacher faces a sentence of up to life in prison when a judge hands out his punishment. Chism was convicted in December in the 2013 death of Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer. He’s scheduled to be sentenced Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, in Salem Superior Court. (Mark Lorenz/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool, File)
FILE - This Dec. 14, 2015, file photo shows Philip Chism appearing in Salem Superior Court, during closing arguments. The Massachusetts teenager convicted of raping and killing his high school math teacher faces a sentence of up to life in prison when a judge hands out his punishment. Chism was convicted in December in the 2013 death of Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer. He’s scheduled to be sentenced Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, in Salem Superior Court. (Mark Lorenz/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool, File) FILE - This Dec. 14, 2015, file photo shows Philip Chism appearing in Salem Superior Court, during closing arguments. The Massachusetts teenager convicted of raping and killing his high school math teacher faces a sentence of up to life in prison when a judge hands out his punishment. Chism was convicted in December in the 2013 death of Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer. He’s scheduled to be sentenced Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, in Salem Superior Court. (Mark Lorenz/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool, File)

By Associated Press 3 min read

SALEM, Mass. — A teenager who raped and killed his high school math teacher was sentenced Friday to life in prison with eligibility for parole in 40 years.

The 2013 slaying of Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer by Philip Chism was “brutal and senseless,” Salem Superior Court Judge David Lowy said as he pronounced the sentence.

“Colleen Ritzer lived a life of quiet heroism,” Lowy said. “The crashing waves of this tragedy will never wane.”

Chism was 14 when he followed the 24-year-old Ritzer into a school bathroom, strangled her, stabbed her at least 16 times and raped her. His lawyers argued he was mentally ill, a contention rejected by the jury.

He will serve life in prison with the possibility of parole in 25 years on a murder charge. He received 40-year concurrent sentences on rape and robbery charges.