Phillip Chism Murder Trial Jury Selected

Jury selection has been completed in the trial of Phillip Chism, the teenager accused of murdering his math teacher at Danvers High School.

Prosecutors say opening statements are expected to start by Monday.

Seventeen jurors have been selected. The opening statements are expected at 9 a.m. at Essex Superior Court in Salem, the Essex County district attorney’s office said in a statement.

Chism is accused of raping and murdering Andover native Colleen Ritzer in October 2013.

Jury selection resumed last week after it was suspended for about three weeks while a court-appointed psychiatrist evaluated Chism’s competency to stand trial.

Lawyers for Chism, who was 14 years old at the time of his alleged crime, sought a mental health evaluation for him in mid-October.

But the judge declared the now 16-year-old Chism competent after reading a report on his ability to understand the trial proceedings and assist his attorneys.