Footage captures student wheeling teacher's body away

A video frame grab of Philip Chism wheeling a large bin inside Danvers High School. Photo / AP

Chilling surveillance footage has captured a US student dragging his teacher's body away in a recycling bin.

Sixteen-year-old Philip Chism is on trial for the rape and murder of his maths teacher, 24-year-old Colleen Ritzer at Danvers High School in Massachusetts.

According to the Daily Mail, jurors have been shown the footage, taken on October 22, 2013, which shows Chism dragging a recycling bin down a hallway and outside the school.

Chism wheeled the body to a nearby wood to bury. Photo / AP

He is later seen returning to school with what appears to be blood on his pants.

The prosecution claims the bin contained the body of Ritzer.

Jurors have also been shown footage of the teacher's last moments, as she smiled and waved to someone in the hallway while walking alone to the bathroom.

Moments later Chism, who was 14 at the time, can be seen entering the same bathroom, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and gloves.

Chism has admitted to killing his teacher but is pleading not guilty on the grounds of insanity.

Chism 'about to explode'

During the trial, which began last week, a lawyer for Chism said her client refused to go back into the courtroom because he's "about to explode".

A judge last Tuesday ordered a recess when the teenager refused to re-enter court.

Chism's lawyer said her client was shaking, twitching and mumbling and told her "he's about to explode and ... doesn't want to hurt anyone".

His lawyer says Chism killed Ritzer but isn't criminally responsible because he is mentally ill.

Chism has pleaded insanity. Photo / AP

A mother's terror

The mother of Ritzer has described the frantic search for her daughter after she didn't come home from work.

Peggie Ritzer testified that her daughter had a consistent routine and came home every day at 3.30pm.

When she didn't that day, the family at first thought she had made plans or been in an accident.

They began to worry when she wasn't home for dinner, wasn't answering her cellphone and hadn't posted on Facebook.

A video frame grab of Philip Chism wheeling a large bin along the Danvers High School pavement. Photo / AP

- Daily Mail, AP