In 2009, an American teenager Alyssa Bustamante got the media’s attention when she violently killed her 9-year-old neighbor, Elizabeth Olten. Bustamante remained more or less a teen who presented herself differently. To many, she was a normal teenager, while on the internet and her dairy, she was absolutely a different being with a mind so dark that it prompted her to inflict pain on herself as well as on others. This same mindset pushed her into committing murder in the coldest way imaginable.
Well, the Missouri native is not the first teenager to perpetuate this kind of crime as the likes of Nikolas Cruz, Eric Smith, Diana Zamora, Sheila Eddy, Rachel Shoaf, Collie Killers, are part of the bandwagon. Let’s take a look at six facts that would interest you about the teen murderer.
Alyssa Bustamante’s Biography
Alyssa Bustamante was birthed to teenage parents with unlawful records on January 28, 1994. Her mother (Michelle) was imprisoned for drug-related offenses and her father (Caesar) was also sentenced for assault. Following these reasons, Alyssa’s grandparents adopted her and enrolled her into a school where she was doing well.
However, at a young age, it was discovered that she was not behaving so normal as she had attempted to kill herself; an act which prompted her concerned grandparents to pay attention to her mental health by getting her mental help.
In October 2009, the dark side of Alyssa Bustamante unraveled itself when she claimed she wanted to see what it felt like to kill someone. To satisfy this bitter curiosity, she decided to seize and cruelly kill her 9-year-old neighbor, Elizabeth Olten.
The case of the missing nine-year-old began and two shallow graves were found behind Alyssa Bustamante’s house – one of them was where she buried her victim. In November 2009, she was charged to court and in 2012, Alyssa pleaded guilty to the charge of second-degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole when she clocked thirty years old.
6 Facts To Know About The Teen Murderer
Alyssa Bustamante Led Double Life
Alyssa Bustamante was thought to be just an ordinary girl in the little town of Missouri. She went to school like her peers and even went to church on the evening she killed the daughter of Patricia Preiss, Elizabeth Olten. After the dastardly act, she penned it in her diary then still went to church. Besides the normal girl seen by many, she was a completely a different girl on the internet where she labeled herself as a ‘cutter’ and someone who loved to kill.
She Suffered From Anger, Violent Tendency and Depression
At a very young age, Alyssa Bustamante began to display characters that were terrifying for her age. At some point, she took to causing pain on herself and labeled herself ‘the cutter’. According to some friends, the child murderer had different self-inflicted scars, proofs of self-cut and burns on her body.
Her violent tendencies were also seen on one of her YouTube videos where she got her brothers electrocuted after she had given herself the same treatment via an electrified cattle fence. Obviously, the damsel had the whims to hurt not just herself but others as occasion served her.
Her Reason For the Murder
Alyssa Bustamante’s friend claimed she told her that she wanted to know how it feels to kill someone. Besides that, she penned in her diary about the pleasure she derived from the killing. However, in her defense, psychologists labeled her as severely mentally disturbed and said she suffered from major depression which might have controlled her actions.
She Dug The Graves Four Days Prior To The Killing
Police investigation showed that Alyssa Bustamante had planned to kill her two brothers thus she had dug two graves in order to bury them there. Their claim was backed up by yet another YouTube video and her write-up about hurting her brothers. Unfortunately, poor Elizabeth became her victim.
See Also: Jeffrey Dahmer – Biography, Victims, Death And Cause Of Death
Adult Trial Because Of the Gravity of her Crime
Although she was taken into custody sometime in 2009 at the age of fifteen, she was charged with first-degree murder, just as an adult would have been. Alyssa Bustamante was later indicted with second-degree murder at eighteen years after her lawyer claimed that she was on anti-depressants and the Prozac may have led her to commit the murder.
Her sentencing in Cole County Circuit was made lighter by the judge, Patricia Joyce after she looked through all evidence presented before her. Alyssa Bustamante got away with life imprisonment with parole in 30 years time instead of the supposed 35 years and five months jail-term made for her heinous crime.
Patricia Preiss Slammed Alyssa Bustamante, Family and Psychiatric Hospital With Lawsuit
Even though, Alyssa Bustamante showed remorse and even tendered an apology to the family of the deceased, following the heartbreaking and gruesome murder, Patty Preiss, mother of the victim filed a lawsuit of $5 million on a claim of wrongful death against Alyssa Bustamante with a running yearly interest rate of 9% till the sum is fully paid off. The said sum was to be deducted as a yearly sum of $25,000 till all is settled.
The Pathway Behavioural Healthcare hospital responsible for her initial treatment was not left out as they were also slammed for negligence, but the judge struck off the case.
