Bustamante Gets Life
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 8:25PM 
Photo courtesy of Columbia Missourian
Elizabeth Bustamante danced around a trial by pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten in October 2009. For sure, no trial saved the state of Missouri a lot of money. She had been charged with first-degree murder but the January plea deal did more than just that. It avoided the possibility of life in prison with no chance of parole.
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, the prosecution and defense argued over her sentence. Tonight, Cole County Circuit Judge Pat Joyce rendered her decision. Just prior to sentencing, Bustamante stood, faced the victim’s family and said, “I really am extremely, very sorry for everything. I know words… [long pause]… can never be enough, and they can never adequately describe how horribly I feel for all of this.”
Later, she said, “If I could give my life to get her back I would. I’m sorry.”
How many times have we heard that?
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors repeated, over and over again, what the disturbed teenager wrote in her journal on October 21, the night of the murder:
I strangled them and slit their throat and stabbed them now they’re dead. I don’t know how to feel atm [at the moment]. It was ahmazing. As soon as you get over the “ohmygawd I can’t do this” feeling, it’s pretty enjoyable. I’m kinda nervous and shaky though right now. Kay, I gotta go to church now … lol.
A short time later, she went to a youth dance at the Mormon church her family belongs to.
Tonight was no dance. The judge gave her the maximum sentence allowed for a second-degree murder conviction. — life with the possibility of parole and a consecutive 30-year term for armed criminal action, stemming from the knife she used to slit Olten’s throat and stab her body. To make sure she was dead, she strangled her.
According to the ColumbianMissourian website, under state guidelines, “Bustamante would have to serve 35 years and 5 months in prison before she is eligible for parole,” according to Missouri Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Cline. “It’s possible that the more than two years Bustamante spent in jail while awaiting her sentencing could be counted toward that time.
“After spending several weeks at a diagnostic prison, Bustamante could be placed in either one of Missouri’s two female prisons or sent out of state. Cline said department officials also would evaluate whether Bustamante should be kept separate from other adult female inmates.”
The now 18-year old was 15 when she committed the murder.
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Reader Comments (13)
This was more than I feared she would get but I am happy with this although I would rather she never get out of prison. I doubt she will live to ever see freedom.. She is pure evil and her "I'm sorry" means nothing.
Hopefully, Nika1, if she gets out when she's 54-years-old, the killing instinct will have left her years earlier. Something tells me that she will never see freedom again. Evil has a way of rewarding evil.
At least she came forward with what she did, not that she should be given an award. This is example of one mind that doesn't care, didn't for Elizabeth and in her confession, it was like whatever! How could she have become what she became, obviously she had help, even before birth. This case is at least finalized, but can't see that it will give peace to anyone.
This is certainly one sad case, New Puppy. Most murders are crimes of passion, but Bustamante sure was a natural born killer. There's no way to understand what she did and why, but she sure will have a long time to sit around pondering it. I'm glad it's over, but for Elizabeth's family, it will never be.
The point of "coming forward" was because the actual killing part was not enough; she had to "share" her "amazingness" with others to achieve the notoriety she deeply craved. The looks of shock on the faces of those interrogating her were sweet like candy. Likely, if she feels any regret it is that her "count" was so low- she refers to the victim as plural and she did dig that second grave. There was always supposed to be more. This girl enticed her little brothers to touch an electrified fence and whooped it up when they were hurt, and put this obscenity on YouTube. I'm not concerned with her safety behind bars- she's the one they'll have to watch out for in that prison population of abused, beaten-down and strung-out souls. Given any opportunity at all she will certainly kill again within the system's very walls.
Yet another compelling case involving a child...This made for a discussion here in Colorado on local radio which the topic soon became about discipline. It was argued could that be an explanation of her calious attitude about killing with no feeling. In my opinion, and many other who chimed in, it was agreed that this may be a cause, a predissesor if you will.
This day-and-age parents want to be their child's friend not their parent. It's difficult being a parent because you are in charge of soooo much and showing them right from wrong is a slippery slope. Do i punish by time-out, take "whatever item" away, do i spank, do i beat him with a stick or switch. (Many of us probably remember the switch, i sure do)
I also remember the "board of education" when i was in school. It hung above the principals desk...you'll find no trace of this today but it was prevalant while i was growing up. Never before did i understand the ol' saying of "it takes a village to raise a child". If we continue to strip away the ability to teach "right from wrong" we'll continue to have cases like this. We, as society, kinda also have the obligation to not just your child but to other children as well to help guide them...think about when your child brings a friend home, do you let him get away with everything while he's there cause he may get away with it at his house...well i dont (and no i am not inferring corpral punishment).
I do agree to the ol' saying that "it hurts me more that it hurts you". I dont like doing things that my children consider mean or hurtfull. However, there are times in which the punishment doesnt quite get accross the severity of their actions. If my son throws a rock and hits his brother that constitutes a spanking and a sit in time-out. Not just a time out. To be honest, time-out doesnt do anything to correct the issue. Punishment by taking things away doesnt affect him. Grounding does nothing but there is one thing that gets accross what i'm trying to explain.
Many people will argue and say that you are hitting just as your son did. I say no, spanking is an immediate reaction that shows that the action being committed comes with a negative action. I seperate both. Spanking is not hitting as much as it is change in behaviour and an attention grabber. This is usually followed by a conversation that supports my reasoning and, at times, i may yell but when all the tears stop i will watch my oldest go to his brother and give him a hug and kiss and say that he is sorry. Same goes in the reverse. The youngest is expected to do the same.
If the lack of parenting is truely a root cause on how she became such a cold blooded killer it brings to light how society expects you to discipling your child...not saying that what that judge was shown doing to his 18-19 year old daughter, who was illegaly downloading music, as that was extreme and she was way to old for what he was doing but the act itself should not be appaling as it was kinda suggested.
Above all you are a parent and secondly a friend and thirdly a confidant. Truth be told though, with this high altitude we Coloradan's kinda lack the oxygen needed to really think things out and this may not even be the reason behind the crime committed-, ha-ha-ha
You're right, Karen. It is Bustamante who is the scary one, but Big Bertha don't like them thar kiddie killers. Imagine that, the stupid girl threw her entire life away for a single thrill. With that second grave, she most assuredly was planning on murdering more. I remember that YouTube video, too. She is right where she belongs. Elizabeth Olten is not.
The really sad thing about Bustamante, BMan, is that she was raised by her grandparents; Mormons active in their church, so she did have structure. However, living with her mother earlier was a major fiasco. She was a drug addict and God knows what else. I think there's a natural curiosity in children to explore. What makes a turtle hide it's head in a shell, for instance. It takes a unique and convoluted mind to want to not only watch something (or in her case, someone) die, but to initiate and participate in the whole death process. Where did she learn that life is worthless? My guess is that she looked at herself as a person of little or no value. Therefore, she extended her mostly non-existent self-esteem to others, as well. Did she know what she was doing when she attempted suicide two years before Olten's murder? Yes, and she knew what she was doing when she stabbed, strangled and slit the 9-year-old's throat; savoring every moment while witnessing a life slip away. How sad.
I agree that parents should stick with parenting more than becoming a best friend. Times have changed, but there's no real way to describe what she did because she never learned violence from her grandparents. As for spanking, that's a tough call and each parent must decide. Today, the government wants to get involved, but when I was young, my father spanked me - sometimes with his hand, and if I was reeally bad, with his belt. I didn't grow up to be weird, although there is no real description of the word. Let's just say it didn't turn me into a monster. Whatever happened to Bustamante could never be explained to everyone's satisfaction. Even in Casey's case, psychiatrists still fight over who was responsible for making her the mess she is. There's no 'one set' of rules. One woman is free and the other will spend a long time in prison. Even in the court system, there's no 'one set' of rules when it comes to guilt or innocence. Bustamante's mistake was that she bragged about it in her journal. The other one lied through her teeth. Chip and all.
I noticed that she wrote in her diary that she "strangled them and slit their throat and stabbed them:. Did she kill more than one person? I don't think that she really has feels bad about what she did. I don't think that she will probably ever get out on parole either. I know she is young and can change while in prison, but her reason for killing Elizabeth was to see how it felt and she thought it was amazing. That tells me that she would probably kill again if given the chance. I feel so bad for Elizabeth's family.
I'm sure she planned to murder someone else that day, Mary Jo, but it didn't pan out. She did dig two graves, so that's proof of it. I'm sure she delighted in the killing, but prison has a way of changing all that. She'll never have children. She'll never be a bride. There are so many things that will not fill a void. How many inmates get that jailhouse religion? Oh, my guess is that she'll be thumping her Bible before you know it. Will it be real? I doubt it.
Hi Dave - There is an article on the Gainesville Sun webpage concerning Tiffany Sessions. They are looking into it as a cold case after 23 years.
I saw something on the news earlier, Nika1, but I was busy writing. Thanks for the info. Plus, I told you I needed to add her to my sidebar.
I know this case is some years old but I still want to make this point!
I think ppl are somewhat stupid in a way judging or saying stuff without knowing the whole story! The fact that there was a 2nd grave doesnt mean a thing at all as she told police that 2nd grave was an attempt and abandoned it as it was too hard to dig due to rocks and roots.
The thing is Alyssa, coming from one of her friend, tried comitting suicides many times before and after that attemps in 2013 but that 2013 was the closest she came to her ultimate goal! After that attempt she was prescribed prozac which to me has a lot to do with what she did! The month before the murder her prozac wasnt working anymore and she was supposedly more depressed than ever before so on October 9th she went to the doctor or shrink who doubled her dosage to 40mg. The drug supposedly takes a full month to caliber but less than 2 weeks later she did what she did! She was receiving in and out patient cares from what I could read online since that attemps when she was 13yo but was she really followed by a competent psy? Why did they not really taking care of her since she had 3 different shrinks during that time? Must be hard for a doctor to fully know a patient so how could they know if she was alright etc...
The reason I am mentioning the prozac btw, is because I had a troubled cousin who was acting up since he was young then he got prescribed an anti depressant at the age of 16 or 17yo, he went from troubled to straight out crazy and for the next 5 years or so was in and out of jail and psy ward! Doesnt it mention on the bottle that antidepressant can caused suicide or cases of violences, psychosis, nightmares and hallucinations?
I think that was the reason her 'wanting to know how it felt like' comment! She wanted to know but with the of prozac new dosage/the problems that prozac creates along with failure for the psy to heal her, made her fantasy come true
Wish she had been cured or hospitalized when she went to the psy on that Oct 9th instead of having to go back home with a new dose of that drug!