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Details emerge in slaying of 9-year-old girl
By T.J. Greaney/Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo. (MCT)
JEFFERSON CITY -- Hours after a juvenile court judge certified her to stand trial as an adult, 15-year-old Alyssa Bustamante was indicted yesterday on charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the Oct. 21 death of 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten.
Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce entered a plea of not guilty on the teen's behalf and asked the public defender's office to review whether she qualifies for representation. The judge ordered Bustamante held without bond in the custody of the Cole County Sheriff's Department.
The indictment alleges Bustamante killed the 9-year-old by strangling her, cutting her throat and stabbing her with a knife.
Investigators said she dug two graves four days before the murder, evidence of premeditation and cool deliberation.
David Cook, a Cole County juvenile officer, testified yesterday that, after reading notes and analysis by Bustamante's therapists, he is not much closer to figuring out a motive for the alleged crime. "There may not be a definite diagnosis," he said yesterday in the juvenile hearing. "It may just be something the individual wanted to do. I don't know that there will ever necessarily be an answer."
He said Bustamante is described in the documents as a troubled, angst-ridden teen, but not extraordinarily so. Her family life was less than ideal. Her father, Ceasar Bustamante, is serving 10 years in the Missouri Eastern Correctional Facility in Pacific for assault. Her mother, Michelle Bustamante, has had personal and legal problems, prompting a court to rule her unfit to care for her children.
Since 2002, Alyssa Bustamante has lived in St. Martins under the guardianship of her maternal grandmother, who also cares for her younger siblings. Cook said the home on Lomo Drive offered a structured environment that featured chores and family vacations to places such as Branson. Her grandparents were tough disciplinarians who didn't hesitate to take away privileges.
Bustamante also was a good student, whose grade-point average ranked in the top 35 percent of all sophomores at Jefferson City High School. She qualified for gifted programs but had motivation problems, Cook said.
Two classmates of Bustamante who attended proceedings yesterday at the Cole County Courthouse said the girl they knew tended to wear dark eyeliner and black shirts printed with skull shapes, but they said other kids dressed similarly.
In 2007, Cook said, Bustamante attempted suicide, prompting a 10-day stay at the Mid-Missouri Mental Health Center. Follow-up treatment included a prescription for the anti-depressant Prozac and near-daily meetings with counselors. The treatment was primarily focused on her tendencies toward depression and self-mutilation -- not her potential for homicidal tendencies, said Cook and Kurt Valentine, her juvenile court counsel.
A standardized test designed to evaluate Bustamante's state of mind administered before Elizabeth Olten was killed determined that her risk for self-harm was "mild" and her tendency toward moodiness was "moderate."
Bustamante's posts on the Web site Twitter in the days before Oct. 21 death offer an insight to the teenager without necessarily showing a red flag. On Sept. 13, she wrote: "the world goes by my cage and never sees me." Four days later she posted: "bad decisions make great stories."
A video Bustamante posted on a personal Youtube site shows her touching an electric fence built to contain livestock. On the soundtrack, a girl can be heard gleefully laughing while encouraging two younger brothers to do the same.
Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Richardson said he will likely seek the strongest punishment available for Bustamante as a juvenile: life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Reach T.J. Greaney at 573-815-1719 or e-mail tjgreaney@columbiatribune.com.
To see more of the Columbia Daily Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.columbiatribune.com/.
Copyright (c) 2009, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Subscribe To Lake AlertsCole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce entered a plea of not guilty on the teen's behalf and asked the public defender's office to review whether she qualifies for representation. The judge ordered Bustamante held without bond in the custody of the Cole County Sheriff's Department.
The indictment alleges Bustamante killed the 9-year-old by strangling her, cutting her throat and stabbing her with a knife.
Investigators said she dug two graves four days before the murder, evidence of premeditation and cool deliberation.
David Cook, a Cole County juvenile officer, testified yesterday that, after reading notes and analysis by Bustamante's therapists, he is not much closer to figuring out a motive for the alleged crime. "There may not be a definite diagnosis," he said yesterday in the juvenile hearing. "It may just be something the individual wanted to do. I don't know that there will ever necessarily be an answer."
He said Bustamante is described in the documents as a troubled, angst-ridden teen, but not extraordinarily so. Her family life was less than ideal. Her father, Ceasar Bustamante, is serving 10 years in the Missouri Eastern Correctional Facility in Pacific for assault. Her mother, Michelle Bustamante, has had personal and legal problems, prompting a court to rule her unfit to care for her children.
Since 2002, Alyssa Bustamante has lived in St. Martins under the guardianship of her maternal grandmother, who also cares for her younger siblings. Cook said the home on Lomo Drive offered a structured environment that featured chores and family vacations to places such as Branson. Her grandparents were tough disciplinarians who didn't hesitate to take away privileges.
Bustamante also was a good student, whose grade-point average ranked in the top 35 percent of all sophomores at Jefferson City High School. She qualified for gifted programs but had motivation problems, Cook said.
Two classmates of Bustamante who attended proceedings yesterday at the Cole County Courthouse said the girl they knew tended to wear dark eyeliner and black shirts printed with skull shapes, but they said other kids dressed similarly.
In 2007, Cook said, Bustamante attempted suicide, prompting a 10-day stay at the Mid-Missouri Mental Health Center. Follow-up treatment included a prescription for the anti-depressant Prozac and near-daily meetings with counselors. The treatment was primarily focused on her tendencies toward depression and self-mutilation -- not her potential for homicidal tendencies, said Cook and Kurt Valentine, her juvenile court counsel.
A standardized test designed to evaluate Bustamante's state of mind administered before Elizabeth Olten was killed determined that her risk for self-harm was "mild" and her tendency toward moodiness was "moderate."
Bustamante's posts on the Web site Twitter in the days before Oct. 21 death offer an insight to the teenager without necessarily showing a red flag. On Sept. 13, she wrote: "the world goes by my cage and never sees me." Four days later she posted: "bad decisions make great stories."
A video Bustamante posted on a personal Youtube site shows her touching an electric fence built to contain livestock. On the soundtrack, a girl can be heard gleefully laughing while encouraging two younger brothers to do the same.
Cole County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Richardson said he will likely seek the strongest punishment available for Bustamante as a juvenile: life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Reach T.J. Greaney at 573-815-1719 or e-mail tjgreaney@columbiatribune.com.
To see more of the Columbia Daily Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.columbiatribune.com/.
Copyright (c) 2009, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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