On October 21 Elizabeth Olten, 9 years old, was walking home from a friend’s house just a few houses away from her own home when she disappeared. No one ever saw or heard from her again.
After tips received by authorities, and what Cole County Sheriff Greg White called “written evidence”, they were led to 15 year old Alyssa Bustamante. After she had been questioned she finally led them into the woods where she had dug two holes before she even killed Elizabeth. She told authorities Elizabeth was buried in one of the holes.
During the investigation Bustamante apparently told Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. David Rice ,”Ultimately she stated that she wanted to know what it felt like” when asked why would she kill Elizabeth.
Prosecutors call Bustamante a cold, calculated killer. “She committed the murder after deliberation, which means cool deliberation or cool reflection on the matter for any length of time,” said Cole County prosecutor Mark Richardson.
Alyssa was in court this week and her attorney has entered a not-guilty plea to charges of first degree murder and armed criminal action in the October 21 stabbing and strangling of 9 year old Elizabeth Olten.
The arraignment Tuesday lasted one minute as Bustamante sat silently in the courtroom and carefully avoided eye contact with anyone. To me this doesn’t seem like the same girl that has left a trail of disturbing writings and videos on the internet. She left more of a grim portrait of herself based on what she wrote on the internet and even posted a YouTube profile listing “killing people” as one of her hobbies.
Yesterday Alyssa’s attorney thinks that the trial should be moved outside Cole County because the locals there are biased against her. The attorney says there is no way she can get a fair trial in Cole County because they are so prejudiced against her. If she is found guilty for this she could be sentenced to life in prison.
Please continue in your prayers for answers on what we can do to stop this kind of abuse and murders of our children. Write to your congress to demand that the laws be changed. Perhaps we can try to get classes for parents on how to make them more aware of the dangers in this world for our children or perhaps a class or segment in schools for the children to teach them of all the warnings and how to recognize danger before they get caught up in it.
My prayers for the children we have lost and found (some alive and some not so fortunate) and for the abused children in the world and for those that are lost and we have not been able to find. My list of children plus many more that I can’t list includes: Caylee Anthony (found dead), Adji Desir (remains missing), Haleigh Cummings (remains missing), Somer Thompson (found dead), Elizabeth Olten (found dead) , Masaraha Ross (remains missing), Alex Mercado (drowned) Rebecca Marie Allen (found alive), Sandra Cantu (found dead), Anthony Holland (found alive), Shaniya Davis (found dead), Hassani Campbell (remains missing), Giovanni Gonzalez (reported dead), Nevaeh Buchanan ( found dead) and Shannon Dedrick (found alive), Angel Miguel Perez (found safe) Luis Martinez (found dead) Luke Finch (found alive), Kayvon Lewis (fighting for his life), Andrue Jankwitz and Nathaneal Hale (found safe) and Conner Conley (killed).
God bless these children and their families too.
Jan Barrett
As a favor to our readers I am posting these web sites. Please consider signing these petitions. Something has got to be done to protect the future of the world which is our children:
Stop the abuse and murder of the children in the U.S.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/16/stop-the-abuse-and-murder-of-the-children-in-the-us
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/change-sex-offender-laws
(5 votes, average: 4.2 out of 5)
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36 users commented in " Alyssa Bustamante Pleads Not Guilty for Murder "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackHeartbreaking… I wish I had the answers. At one time you had to be afraid of strangers, now it’s your next door neighbor. I will continue my prayers for everyone.
Some of the answers could be as simple as sitting down every day and just getting to know your own children and what they are dealing with in their own lives. Be a support system for your child , they need to be heard. They deal with so much more than we did as children.jmo jmo
Tobias,
Very true… I think that perhaps a lot of parents just decide to wear blinders when it comes to their children’s “off behavior” problems. I know several.
Tobias, I agree. Parents need to also know where their children are at every minute of the day and who they are with. It is very sad. The freedoms we had as a child are gone. In this day of both parents having to work and more single parents, it is almost impossible to monitor your children’s every move. I don’t know what the answer is. Very sad.
Jan mentioned that Alyssa “carefully avoided eye contact with anyone” and that she “doesn’t seem like the same girl that has left a trail of disturbing writings and videos on the internet”. I think this irony is going to haunt her since her only grounds for a “not guilty” is by reason of insanity. In court, however, she acts like shes DOES know right from wrong, as a person who didn’t know would not be bothered making eye contact. Her failure to make eye contact and hide quietly behind her hair to me shows shame, something she would not feel if legally insane.
I strongly feel that we need to reach the parents who, by lack of education and parenting skills, influence kids to go in this direction. The only way to reach them is through the schools. High schools should add life training into their curriculum. It is far more crucial to teach proper parenting skills than how to bake fricking cookies in home ec!
LindaOz, interesting. I also saw a clip of Alyssa on TV (in the courtroom) and I was struck by how guilty and ashamed she looked.
At first I thought she was a psychopath or a sociopathic killer who was mentally deranged… but after seeing her on TV, that’s not the case.
Which makes it even more disturbing…
She’s a little MONSTER. this has NOTHING to do with her parents. She’s just sick in the end. I’m so ANGRY about this. She took an INNOCENT little girls life b/c “She FELT LIKE IT…” “She wanted to know” I hope she rots.
With a cherry,
I’m not so sure if they are not to blame. Although I feel we all have free-will, it’s up to us what path we decide to take, some it seems may be doomed from the start.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/11/24/crimesider/entry5761341.shtml
Cherry - I don’t know enough about her relationship with her parents and upbringing to know if they unknowingly influenced her. If it truly is mental illness, then they have nothing to do with that, but if the brought her up as a rich bitch who got everything she ever wanted and tolerated her antisocial behavior, then they may very well had a big influence on the monster she turned out to be.
LindaOz- I’ll have to look it up but I remember reading that her father is in jail. Her mother’s a no-good, too. Not sure if she’s in jail or an addict or what. But doesn’t sound like she had a very good life before going to live with her grandmother. And I don’t know anything about what life was like there.
Nature or nurture? Hard to know sometimes.
Or sometimes parents now days dont care any more. Its just the parents dont care what their children do or dont do or their behaviors. Its not blinders its just most of the time they dont care, they dont care about their education, or anything. Its sad and nine times out of ten those are the children that end up doing horrible crimes and in jail for a long time cause the parents dont step up to the plate.
That’s the face of evil. I hope she never sees the light of day again.
Even if they find this scummy little pig guilty (gosh, I just insulted pigs!!! my apologies) I doubt she will get the sentence that she actually deserves - Death sentence or life behind bars. Oh I am sure that whiners crying for rehabilitation of monsters like Alyssa will pipe up and call ME the monster for saying that. But the fact is that she PLANNED to murder a girl, thought about it, dreamed about it, probably fantasized about what it was like to do it before she did the deed. This freakshow dug 2 graves IN ADVANCE of the crime!!! Even while she was choking the life out of this little 9 year old, Alyssa had the chance to stop, come to her senses and realize that she was doing something unspeakable. She chose to go ahead and take a life of an innocent child. She deserves to die, and suffer like Elizabeth did. I hope she gets raped in prison by a million big women before they put her lights out or hang her. Harsh? Oh well, so is killing a nine year old. I hope she dies a horrifying death. She deserves it.
At my earlier post 4:23, there’s a link about her parents. A bad seed from two bad seeds.
She needs round the clock mental help. She did the crime she needs to do the time. She committed the act of murder. She KNOWS right from wrong. She should be tried as an adult. She openly admitted to having the desire to know what it was like to kill a person. She knows what she did. I hope they fry the little b****es butt!
Guilty as sin!
Alyssa is guilty! Now they want to enter not guilty and more than likely an insanity plea after her own confession. WHAT ABOUT ELIZABETHS PLEAS AS SHE STRUGGLED FOR HER LIFE!!!! This was pre- meditated and apparently Alyssa had a another victim in mind as well to put in the second grave. She needs to receive full punishment for what she has done. Alyssa may have a deranged dark side, but it is not due to mental illness. It was reported that she did very well in school. She had friends. Alyssa cannot blame anyone for her actions. She understands right from wrong. Alyssa has to receive full punishment of life in prison with no parole in order for Elizabeth to have JUSTICE.
M2c - Thank you for the background info on Alyssa’s home life. I was clueless about her background. I think it helps to look at the family info on all of these teen perpetrators. Hopefully more will come out.
Ruining this girls life wont bring elizibeth back, or make anyone feel any better. Alyssa is the victim in this, think about it, who would you rather be? The dead girl, or the one who will sit in a small room by her self 24 hours a day for the rest of her life. I think its ridiculous that they haven’t even brought up the fact that Prozac can cause homicidal and suicidal thoughts in some children, so why shouldn’t they research further? Because they just want ******* revenge. We are such an uncivilized society, we throw away children just because we assume they are just evil. We only have one life on this earth, maybe we should accualy take into consideration how important it is. We send soldiers to invade other countries to kill thousands of people, they come home heroes. Is it protecting our country? or are we invading a country that is only protecting theirs. When alyssa killed one person, suddenly its a big deal, but killing other people is not? There should be no special circumstance for killing, killing is just killing. If a lion kills an antelope, do we all go around bitching about it? Who says what life is worth what amount. I don’t think adults should be able to take the responsibility of controlling a child’s life, they dont know what its like to be her. none of you know what its like to be alyssa. you never will.
Torture is worse than death. Alyssa Bustamante will be suffering torture for the rest of her life, being confined to a small space and never having the choice of freedom. Elizibeth has nothing to suffer anymore
Ruining this girls life wont bring elizibeth back, or make anyone feel any better
——–
Doesn’t matter. The girl is evil, she got caught thankfully before she turned into another Jeffrey Dahmer.
UsernameGuy said: “being confined to a small space and never having the choice of freedom.”
Out of everything you said, and it all is crap, what I quoted above just floored me. She HAD the choice, BUT SHE CHOSE TO KILL Elizabeth. NOW she must pay for her actions. We have a very civilized country and if it weren’t for people thinking, such as yourself, that we should coddle these children that murder, rape and torture others we’d be way better off. It does not matter what Alyssa’s parents are like. We should hold everyone accountable for her actions then because all of her friends have said that she had told them she wanted to do this or do that and no one stepped forward. IF Alyssa was reaching out for help by telling these people her fantasies and wishes, she didn’t get it. BUT that does not mean she had the RIGHT to take another child’s life. It sickens me that you say we should basically wrap our arms around her and give her a hug and say, “Oh no, it wasn’t your fault, it was this or that or her or him….” BS!!! She KNEW what she was doing. She will be held accountable for her actions! AS SHE SHOULD BE.
UsernameGuy - What do you suggest be done - if anything? About Alyssa’s responsibility for Elizabeth’s death?
UsernameGuy, WHAT? So using your rationale we should just kill all the children that way they won’t ever have to suffer! What is wrong with you? This MONSTER killed an innocent child. During her hearing this week she refused to look at anyone and ducked her head which tells ME she feels shame and guilt for what she did and KNOWS it was wrong. That takes away an insanity defense which leaves her being a very troubled and SICK individual. I suppose you think it is cruel that we put ANY criminal in jail no matter how hideous their crime is. Perhaps we should let ALL of them out of their small confined spaces and we can join hands and sing KUMBAYA right before they rape and murder the REST of us law abiding citizens! Elizabeth won’t suffer anymore?! She should NEVER have suffered being strangled, stabbed and her throat slit! If I misunderstood your meaning, please feel free to elaborate because frankly, right now, I’m wondering if you shouldn’t perhaps be in a small confined space yourself (with padded walls!)
This is sad. The girl didn’t have to die. The killer showed signs of something she was going to do (even if joking it should be talked about) and they did nothing to help.
I’d also like to say, what about the children in other places suffering from the hands of war, and it’s ok? Why should ONE child be any better then any of them?
I think alyssa should spend time in prison, for what she did but not life in prison because her life was was so messed up and there are alot of kids out there like her and she is only 15 so spending that much time in prison is too much for a teen like her to handle. because if I was her I’d hate being in prison for that long and her life is stressful enough as it is so maybe 10 yaers would do it or maybe just a little bit more. I I feel sorry for her but on the other hand I am also ashamed for what she has done to that little girl that had a life ahead of her so thats what I think also I think that she needs to go into a better family that actually cares for her.
okay look everybody. have you ever met this girl in person? i bet not. I went to school with her for the past 5 years. she sat right next to me every morning and evening. we did homework together, we talked about boys and whatever other teens would talk about. She was my friend. i knew her before she ever had to go get treated for depression. she was just like any other human being - happy and normal. she blended in and alot of ppl loved being around her. she created a fake image after practically being left alone by her parents. now how would you feel? wait let me answer that for you- you would feels sad, depressed, hurt, alone. she had went through something none of us would want to face! for whatever reason (whether she was on drugs, or drunk) she killed a little girl. not saying that that was an okay thing to do because it wasnt, but saying your opinions about someone you’ve never personally been around before is a stupid ass thing to do! every one of you dnt realise nothing will bring her back unfortnately. only time will tell what will happen to ally. she was a great person with a troubled past that anyone of us would have hated to have had. but im so sick and tired of people who dont even know who she really is talk like you know her! when you dont! do you know what its like to have a friend kill someone and when you go to school and dnt see her anymore, have you ever felt that kinda sadness- no i bet not. so stop argueing about this unfortunate event because whether you like it or not, your word means nothing to the outcome of her conviction. my word doesnt even matter. so grow up and stop with these gay fu**ing conversations. it hurts people like me who had nothing to do with this have to defend her while not defending her to defend you then having to defend me. just act like adults and let the authorities make the comments stay out of it, stay out of all of it. you have better things to do with your lifes then get on here and hurt those that really knew her and are never gonna get over it. until you know what her friends feel about it then dont say anything because you dont know what your talking about. you dont know who she is and how she felt. sad to say but you surely havent heard all of the case so you dont know if she really did it or if your just going with it because she admited to it. she could be covering up for someone. do you know the evidence personally? no- no one does! so again you know nothing. your just posting pointless comments that make no difference in what will happen. sorry if i affended any of you, but you have affended me.
Jefferson City resident. Allysa’s friend. Im another 15 yr old effected by this event. (so dont act like your the only ones hurt!!)
It really does not matter what anyone thinks about Alyssia she is being tried as an adult. She is not getting the death penalty. That’s almost funny who ever suggested that. At 15 a person does know right from wrong. She planed out the murder. Dug two graves a week a head of the murder. She stabbed, suffacated and cut elisabeths throat from ear to ear. She needs to spend the rest of her life behind bars. She will get mental health treatment, medication for her mental health. She will not be able to hurt any more little children in prison.
I think it is very, very sad. It is very sad that a child was killed but also sad the another child murdered her. I believe Alyssa needs to be put away. She is a murderer, and if they were to let her out in lets say five years…she would be an adult and she would just go murder again. I don’t understand how anyone could do this.
I LOVE ALYSSA BUSTAMANTE!!! SHE’S NOT GUILY, SENTENCE HER AS THE F***ING JUVENILE THAT SHE IS AND NOT IN FRONT OF A F***ING IGNORANT JURY! WHAT THE HELL?
UsernameGuy:
What if she had killed YOUR child? Or someone else that YOU loved?
Yeah, she’s the victim alright. And she didn’t make the choice to kill, her parents made that choice for her.
You bleeding heart liberals make me want to puke my guts up.
Too bad these monsters masquerading as human beings don’t kill you off.
The white middle class European colonial society system has killed and ruined both of these children….
God created both of these children… Yet , it is not a God fearing people that will accuse them…. it is a walking persona of Satan… ( the white middle class lie).. That accuses them.. puts them in chains.. THose That goes to church on sundays.. while it rapes its daughters on mondays and Fridays… and leaves the rest to die in the Wells on Fun-days….
DAMN STRAIT. SHE CAN BURN IN HELL THE REST OF HER LIFE. SHE GOT WAT SHE DESERVES AND SOME LESS. I HOPE SHE IS HUNTED BY THAT LITTLE GIRL AND MEMORY FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE
So much saddens me about this tragic story. But the response is so often inadequate or just entirely inappropriate. Beyond the crime and its immediate impact for both families and friends, what saddens me the most is the frenzy of vitriol and hatred towards the other child involved in this tragedy, who, it should be remembered, has not yet been to trial.
Clearly Alyssa had terrible emotional problems- her self-harm alone is testament to that. Clearly, she is a child. 15 year-olds are children in every sense in American society. Any premeditation here was the premeditation of a disturbed adolescent, not of an adult. You can’t have it both ways.
If Alyssa did commit this crime, what must be understood is the fractured part of her personality that left her feeling an entitlement to do such a thing. I was disappointed to see such comments as “I can’t even wrap my mind around such a vicious killing” by Dr.Phil, a comment apparently intended to show him in the company of everyday people, who can be forgiven for not understanding. There has been a great deal of research into how people evolve into perpetrators of terrible crimes, and such guarded comments only serve to further mystify tragedies like this.
The most shocking thing of all is the voyeuristic pleasure indulged in by people angered by the crime- what would happen to Alyssa if she were left to a mob of people baying for blood like some of those above? What broken part of their personalities leaves them feeling entitled to imagine and say such terrible things about a child?
Alyssa is a child.
Perhaps the rest of us can listen to Samantha’s point of view, and not spread further hatred. These events are sad enough already.
let me laught its normal 1st degree murder this girl (kid) do mistake her need help not jail he have big différence!!! a year ago i feel same way with hard stupid life and the rage go up up each hours you think about kill someone!!! a girl ,a boy ages u dont care u just want do it feel ur anger pass and feel better after but anyway me i can calm that anger when torture me but ii put a petition on facebook http://www.petitionspot.com/petition/alyssa i support her and i know the way her feel and her need help not jail free alyssa
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