Alyssa Bustamante, 15, Killed Elizabeth Olten, 9, "Just to See What it Felt Like," Say Prosecutors

Alyssa Bustamante, 15, appeared in a Missouri courtroom Wednesday and was certified as an adult to stand trial in the murder of 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten. According to Missourinet.com, prosecutors told the Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem that Alyssa Bustamante had killed Elizabeth Olten "just to see what it felt like to kill someone." Alyssa Bustamante led Cole County authorities who had searched for the missing 9-year-old for two days to an area that had already been searched. The small body of Elizabeth Olten was found in a well hidden shallow grave. Alyssa Bustamante was arrested in connection to the younger girl's death.

Elizabeth Olten had been playing with a younger sibling of Alyssa Bustamante's on October 21 when she found it was time to go home. She only lived a few minutes away. When she did not make it home by 7 p.m. (she left her friend's home at around 6:15 p.m.), her family called 911. A massive search was mounted by the Cole County Sheriff's Office and volunteers once it was known that Elizabeth Olten was afraid of the dark. She was also afraid of the woods and she had to pass by a wooded area on the way to her home.

Authorities attempted to track the 9-year-old via her cell phone and located a signal in the aforementioned wooded area before the signal died. Concentrating their search in the woods, investigators brought in infra-red imaging detection equipment -- but to no avail. Acting on information gathered from physical as well as written evidence, Cole County authorities were able to develop a person of interest and question them. That same person led them into the woods to the spot where the body of Elizabeth Olten was recovered.

According to True Crime Report, the spot where Alyssa Bustamente led officials had two freshly dug graves, which implies premeditation. However, it has not been disclosed, if known, who was intended to fill the second grave. Was there to be a second killing? Or did Alyssa Bustamante plan to kill Elizabeth Olten, then kill herself? Alyssa Bustamante has a history of mental evaluations. The 15-year-old attempted suicide in the past. Still, if she planned to kill herself, who would finish the burial? Did Alyssa Bustamante have accomplices or confidantes who would help her complete whatever she had planned?

Elizabeth Olten's family members attended the hearing, wearing pink t-shirts with a picture of the 9-year-old emblazoned upon them.

Alyssa Bustamante was formally charged with killing Elizabeth Olten by strangulation, cutting her throat and stabbing her. Bustamante faces the additional charge of armed criminal action for attacking Elizabeth Olten with a knife. The 15-year-old was ordered held without bond. Judge Beetem also stated that the juvenile facilities where Alyssa Bustamante was being held were insufficient for a person who had committed such a heinous offense.

Bustamante's lawyer argued that trying her as an adult would be a "death sentence."

The choice of words may have been an unfortunate slip, because it was a death sentence his client is accused of delivering when she allegedly wanted to know "what it felt like to kill someone."

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Sources:

TrueCrimeReport.com
Missourinet.com