Elizabeth Olten #3 11/18/09 -

[grace-land]

IMO -- There is one thing that is of great concern for the prosecution in this case--the judge suppressed Bustamante's confession.

http://www.komu.com/news/murder-trial-to-begin-in-jan-for-17-year-old-bustamante-26405/

Murder Trial To Begin in Jan. for 17-Year-Old Bustamante
Posted: Dec 28, 2011 4:48 PM by Meghann Mollerus
Updated: Dec 28, 2011 4:49 PM
 ::snipping2::
In June 2011, the prosecution lost what could have been a crucial piece of evidence in dispelling Bustamante's not-guilty plea. Joyce suppressed Bustamante's confession after determining Juvenile Officer Tobie Meyer participated in the initial Highway Patrol interview of Bustamante and used "deceptive tactics" in encouraging Bustamante to confess to the murder. In the order to suppress the confession, Joyce wrote, Meyer's participation in the interrogation "went far beyond her statutory role as a juvenile officer, which is limited to observation and protection of the juvenile's rights."

Since Bustamante was in juvenile custody at the time of the interrogation, statements disclosed to Meyer were not to be admissible in an adult criminal proceeding. Had Mayer not participated, Bustamante's statements to Highway Patrol Sgt. David Rice could have been valid for use in trial, according to an original assertion in the court order to suppress evidence. At a Nov. 2009 hearing in which Bustamante was certified to stand trial as an adult, Rice testified Bustamante confessed to stabbing and strangling Olten, citing she "wanted to know what it felt like" to kill someone. Rice also said it was Bustamante who led authorities to Olten's well-concealed body, found in the woods near her home in St. Martins on Oct. 23, 2009, two days after she had gone missing while walking home from a neighbor's house.

Prosecutors filed suggestions on Aug. 12, 2010 for DNA testing of a knife and jeans found at the crime scene and seized by authorities as evidence. In Aug. 2011, Richardson and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Anji Gandhi informed the court in a motion hearing that evidence testing would not be completed for another six weeks. This information thereby delayed the trial set for Sep. 13, 2011.
 ::snipping2::

[KittyMom]

I hope this young monster doesn't get away with murdering a little girl.  She's a perfect example of why we need the death penalty. 

[ospainter]

http://www.komu.com/news/alyssa-bustamante-headed-to-court-to-plea-guilty/

Alyssa Bustamante Headed to Court to Plea Guilty

Posted: Jan 10, 2012 5:22 AM by KOMU Staff
Updated: Jan 10, 2012 7:02 AM

JEFFERSON CITY - Just three weeks shy of a scheduled trial date for 17-year-old Alyssa Bustamante, a family spokesperson for murder victim Elizabeth Olten confirmed to KOMU that Bustamante's defense could accept a plea deal in court on Tuesday morning.

Though KOMU could not reach prosecuting attorney Mark Richardson or defense attorney Donald Catlett, Pam Cafourek confirmed a motion hearing will be held at 9 a.m. at the Cole County Courthouse.

Cafourek said Richardson informed Olten's mother this morning that he planned to offer a second-degree murder plea bargain to Bustamante's defense team. She said Richardson told the Olten family later this afternoon that the defense had agreed to the deal. In court Tuesday, "All [Bustamante] has to do is show up," Cafourek said.

According to the spokesperson, if Bustamante agrees to the guilty plea of second-degree murder, judge Patricia Joyce will decide whether to uphold the agreement. If Joyce sustains the deal, a sentencing hearing will be set. The maximum sentence for the second-degree charge is 30 years in prison with the possibility of parole.

Cafourek said Olten's mother "is absolutely devastated. She wanted it to go to full trial. She wanted [for Bustamante] life in prison without parole. She thought we had enough for the jury to convict her, and apparently Mark didn't feel that way." Cafourek said Richardson told the family initially he would not offer a plea agreement to Bustamante.

"If [Bustamante] changes her mind between now and tomorrow, then it will go to trial," Cafourek said.

Bustamante is scheduled to be tried for first-degree murder as an adult on Jan. 30. She is accused of murdering her nine-year-old neighbor, Olten, two years ago in St. Martins, Mo.

 ::snipping2::

OS

[ospainter]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MISSOURI_GIRL_SLAIN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Jan 10, 10:31 AM EST

Mo. teen pleads guilty to killing 9-year-old girl

By DAVID LIEB
Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri teenager who told authorities that she strangled, cut and stabbed a 9-year-old neighbor because she wanted to know how it felt pleaded guilty Tuesday in the girl's death.

Alyssa Bustamante pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Oct. 21, 2009, killing of Elizabeth Olten in St. Martins, a rural town just west of Jefferson City.

Bustamante, who was 15-years-old at the time of the killing, had been charged with first-degree murder and scheduled to be tried as an adult later this month.

Prosecutors said Bustamante plotted Elizabeth's death, even digging two holes to be used as graves, then attended school for about a week while waiting for the right time to kill. They said Bustamante strangled Elizabeth without provocation, cut the girl's throat and stabbed her.

 ::snipping2::

OS

[ospainter]

http://twitter.com/#!/krcg
Here's the link to use.  Thanks for the update OS.  MB


KRCG @krcg 24m



krcg KRCG
Reporters are waiting on a statement from Elizabeth Olten family spokesperson pic.twitter.com/U5Pm5FZp
View photo
10:40 AM - 10 Jan 12 via Twitter for iPhone · Details

    

KRCG KRCG @krcg 27m

    
krcg KRCG
Judge Joyce accepted Bustamante's guilty plea for 2nd degree murder. Elizabeth Olten friends/family crying in the courtroom.
10:37 AM - 10 Jan 12 via web · Details

    
KRCG KRCG @krcg 1h

    

Relatively quiet courthouse before #alyssabustamante plea hearing. pic.twitter.com/5lRcfCcv
View photo
9:42 AM - 10 Jan 12 via Twitter for iPhone · Details

    

KRCG KRCG @krcg 1h

    

Hearing begins in 40 minutes. Two reporters headed to courthouse for Alyssa Bustamante plea hearing: bit.ly/zbvP26


Hope I did that correctly.

OS

[grace-land]

Thank you for the updates, ospainter.

Sad day.  No real justice for Elizabeth. 

[grace-land]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/missouri-teen-alyssa-bustamante-pleads-guilty-to-murdering-neighbour/story-e6frf7lf-1226241469950

Missouri teen Alyssa Bustamante pleads guilty to murdering neighbour
by: AAP From: AAP January 11, 2012 9:53AM

 ::snipping2::

The judge set a February 6 sentencing hearing. Bustamante would have faced life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder. But by pleading guilty to a reduced murder charge, Bustamante could eventually being released. The punishment for second-degree murder ranges from 10-30 years in prison or life with the possibility of parole. The judge said the armed criminal action charge is punishable by three years up to life in prison.

 ::snipping2::

[KittyMom]

I want to hear the pros explain why he worked on the plea.  Unless the judge comes down hard on this killer, she'll be out in a few years ready for that 'feeling' again.

[SunnyinTX]

http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/10/guilty-plea-in-missouri-thrill-killing-case/

17-year-old Alyssa Bustamante is pleading guilty to murder for the 2009 killing of her nine-year-old neighbor Elizabeth Olten.

Bustamante, was 15 years old when she strangled and stabbed Olten to death.  During a videotaped interrogation, Bustamante confessed to

the killing, saying she just wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone.  After the confession, she lead police to Olten’s body in the woods.

Judge Pat Joyce threw out Bustamante's confession because she said a juvenile officer present at the interrogation used "deceptive tactics" by telling the Bustamante "she was there as (her) "advocate."" ::snipping2:: ::snipping2::

Another sad day for justice and the victim

[SunnyinTX]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084779/Teen-admits-murdering-neighbor-9-wanted-know-felt-like-kill.html
 ::snipping2:: ::snipping2::


Judge Pat Joyce then asked Bustamante to describe what she did.
'I strangled her and stabbed her in the chest.' Bustamante said, looking straight at the judge.
'Did you cut her throat too?' the judge asked.
'Yes' Bustamante responded.
Bustamante told the judge that she knew what she was doing at the time.
 
More...
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Bustamante said she used a knife to cut Elizabeth's throat and then strangled the girl with her hands. This confession prompted a sharp, audible intake of breath from Elizabeth's tearful mother who sat in the courtroom just a few feet away.
Bustamante, who was 15 years old at the time of the attack, had been charged with first-degree murder and was supposed to stand trial starting Jan. 30.
Instead, sentencing was set for February 6. She faces 10-30 years to life in prison.
Prosecutors said Bustamante plotted Elizabeth's death, even digging two holes to be used as graves, then attended school for about a week while waiting for the right time to kill.
They said Bustamante strangled Elizabeth without provocation, cut the girl's throat and stabbed her.

 ::snipping2:: ::snipping2::

In June, Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce blocked prosecutors from using part of the statement to police in her murder trial.
Joyce ruled that a juvenile officer wrongly participated in the interview and 'used deceptive tactics' during the questioning.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084779/Teen-admits-murdering-neighbor-9-wanted-know-felt-like-kill.html#ixzz1j6XmqILC

[SunnyinTX]

I want to hear the pros explain why he worked on the plea.  Unless the judge comes down hard on this killer, she'll be out in a few years ready for that 'feeling' again.

Kitty Mom I think it's the judge rather than the pros in this case....read what I posted.

[KittyMom]

I want to hear the pros explain why he worked on the plea.  Unless the judge comes down hard on this killer, she'll be out in a few years ready for that 'feeling' again.

Kitty Mom I think it's the judge rather than the pros in this case....read what I posted.

I thought that the pros and defense had to agree to the terms of the plea deal before it went before a judge? 
 

I just hope the judge doesn't go lightly on her due to her age.  She planned this out so well its scary.  That mind needs to be locked away for good.

[trimmonthelake]

http://twitter.com/#!/CaseSignal
CaseSignal Case Signal (BeanE)
Reporter's account: Security tight, questions to Bustamante direct - Elizabeth Olten - News Tribune > bit.ly/Ai2f8F
19 minutes ago

[Northern Rose]

Teen kills girl, 9, 'to know how it feels'

MISSOURI: Alyssa Bustamante looked down, her long brown hair covering her teenage eyes, as a judge read the charges against her: murder and armed criminal action, for knowingly strangling, cutting and stabbing her 9-year-old neighbor.

For more than two years after she was arrested as a high school sophomore, Bustamante had been publicly silent about the gruesome crime, which a patrol officer testified she confessed to committing because "she wanted to know what it felt like." On Tuesday, it was her time to talk.

Describe what you did, a judge instructed Bustamante, as she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for killing Elizabeth Olten.

"I strangled her and stabbed her in the chest," Bustamante, 17, said in a clear voice, looking straight at the judge.

"Did you cut her throat too?" the judge asked.

"Yes," Bustamante responded.

She used her hands for strangling and a knife for the rest of the attack, Bustamante told judge.

Sitting a few feet away in the front row of a cramped courtroom, her helpless victim's mother took a deep breath and dabbed her tears. She was angry, frustrated, sorrowful.

Bustamante had been charged with first-degree murder, and by pleading guilty to a lesser murder charge she avoided a trial and the possibility of spending her life in an adult prison with no chance of release. Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce will decide after a Feb. 6 sentencing hearing how long Bustamante should remain locked up. Her sentence could be as short as 10 years, or as long as life with the possibility of parole after about 25 years.

 ::snipping2::

http://www.emirates247.com/offbeat/crazy-world/husband-commits-suicide-after-wife-beats-him-up-in-public-2012-01-11-1.437007

[Northern Rose]

For many Mid-Missouri reporters, covering Tuesday morning’s Alyssa Bustamante murder case hearing actually began late Monday afternoon, as we all were contacted about a possible plea agreement.

And that victim Elizabeth Olten’s family was none-too-pleased with the arrangement.

 ::snipping2::

http://www.**/news/2012/jan/11/reporters-account-security-tight-questions-dir/

[Northern Rose]

Family of slain MO girl disappointed by plea deal

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (AP) - Relatives of a slain 9-year-old Missouri girl are disappointed by a plea agreement that could allow her confessed killer to be released from prison someday.

An attorney for the mother of Elizabeth Olten says the family does not believe justice was fully served Tuesday when Alyssa Bustamante pleaded guilty to killing the girl in October 2009.

 ::snipping2::

Attorney Matt Diehr says Elizabeth's mother and other relatives plan to "continue to seek justice" by any legal means available

http://www.kctv5.com/story/16494970/family-of-slain-mo-girl-disappointed-by-plea-deal

[Sister]

Family of slain MO girl disappointed by plea deal

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (AP) - Relatives of a slain 9-year-old Missouri girl are disappointed by a plea agreement that could allow her confessed killer to be released from prison someday.

An attorney for the mother of Elizabeth Olten says the family does not believe justice was fully served Tuesday when Alyssa Bustamante pleaded guilty to killing the girl in October 2009.

 ::snipping2::

Attorney Matt Diehr says Elizabeth's mother and other relatives plan to "continue to seek justice" by any legal means available

http://www.kctv5.com/story/16494970/family-of-slain-mo-girl-disappointed-by-plea-deal

I fully understand this family's disappointment.  There is nothing I have read to indicate that if Bustamante gets out she would not kill again.

[trimmonthelake]

Family of slain MO girl disappointed by plea deal

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (AP) - Relatives of a slain 9-year-old Missouri girl are disappointed by a plea agreement that could allow her confessed killer to be released from prison someday.

An attorney for the mother of Elizabeth Olten says the family does not believe justice was fully served Tuesday when Alyssa Bustamante pleaded guilty to killing the girl in October 2009.

 ::snipping2::

Attorney Matt Diehr says Elizabeth's mother and other relatives plan to "continue to seek justice" by any legal means available

http://www.kctv5.com/story/16494970/family-of-slain-mo-girl-disappointed-by-plea-deal

I fully understand this family's disappointment.  There is nothing I have read to indicate that if Bustamante gets out she would not kill again.

[Amys Sister]

This is the first I've read of this tragic story.  Elizabeth was led, trusting and innocent, into the woods to meet her end and probably looked into the eyes of her murderer as she passed away.  So sad and horrifying!!

You monkey's have done a phenomenol job of discussing what it takes to create a murderer vs. whether one is a born murderer.  I don't know that any conclusion was met, but you did give me a lot to think about.

My initial reaction upon reading the story was what happened to this 15 year old girl to turn her into a murderous animal?  The self cutting, the loss of both parents, the suicide attempts all led me to wonder what kind of horrors she suffered as a small child.  I've always felt intense suffering can cause a child to split their true self, or soul, from their mental self and without that soul connection dark entities are able to control the person's mind and eventually, their actions.  I've always imagined this happens in stages where eventually the person is too far gone to be saved.

Many monkey's here have posted that some people are just born evil.  Because of the intelligent (and passionate!) posts on the matter I am forced to believe that this is a distinct possibility.  I imagine most murderers do so for the same reason Alyssa admitted (to see what it feels like) but because of her young age she spoke it aloud whereas other older, more seasoned sociopaths have the sense not to.

What a tragedy for the Olten family.  I hope they are able to find peace someday.  I also hope we are able to unlock the mysteries of the evil that is able to lurk in the human mind.

One last thing, I agree wholeheartedly with Peace's posts about Prozac and antidepressants in general.  These medications can be a catalyst for acting out in awful ways and in many cases make the lives of patient's worse instead of better.

[Sister]

This is the first I've read of this tragic story.  Elizabeth was led, trusting and innocent, into the woods to meet her end and probably looked into the eyes of her murderer as she passed away.  So sad and horrifying!!

You monkey's have done a phenomenol job of discussing what it takes to create a murderer vs. whether one is a born murderer.  I don't know that any conclusion was met, but you did give me a lot to think about.

My initial reaction upon reading the story was what happened to this 15 year old girl to turn her into a murderous animal?  The self cutting, the loss of both parents, the suicide attempts all led me to wonder what kind of horrors she suffered as a small child.  I've always felt intense suffering can cause a child to split their true self, or soul, from their mental self and without that soul connection dark entities are able to control the person's mind and eventually, their actions.  I've always imagined this happens in stages where eventually the person is too far gone to be saved.

Many monkey's here have posted that some people are just born evil.  Because of the intelligent (and passionate!) posts on the matter I am forced to believe that this is a distinct possibility.  I imagine most murderers do so for the same reason Alyssa admitted (to see what it feels like) but because of her young age she spoke it aloud whereas other older, more seasoned sociopaths have the sense not to.

What a tragedy for the Olten family.  I hope they are able to find peace someday.  I also hope we are able to unlock the mysteries of the evil that is able to lurk in the human mind.

One last thing, I agree wholeheartedly with Peace's posts about Prozac and antidepressants in general.  These medications can be a catalyst for acting out in awful ways and in many cases make the lives of patient's worse instead of better.

Amys Sister, thank you for your thoughtful post.
I don't claim to have the answers . . . what makes one person a survivor and another a victim.  I know of three children who were brought up in an abusive home, with an alcoholic parent -- two of the children have gone on to lead lives of crime, one has not.  Same environment, same parents, same abuse.  What caused one to live a life as a survivor and not a victim, blaming others for their actions.  This child and I (who is now an adult with the two siblings in jail) have talked about this many times.  The answer, we just don't know.