| Murder of Elizabeth Olten | |
|---|---|
 Location of St. Martins within Cole County | |
| Location | St. Martins, Missouri, U.S. |
| Date | October 21, 2009 |
Attack type | Child-on-child murder by strangulation, stabbing |
| Weapon | Knife |
| Victim | Elizabeth Olten, aged 9 (killed) |
| Perpetrator | Alyssa Bustamante |
| Motive | Homicidal ideation, thrill |
| Verdict | Pleaded guilty |
| Convictions | Second-degree murder, armed criminal action |
| Charges | First-degree murder (charge dropped after plea deal) |
| Litigation | Wrongful death lawsuit settled for $5 million[1]
|
| Sentence | Life imprisonment with the possibility of conditional release in 2024, plus consecutive sentence of 30 years in prison |
Elizabeth Kay Olten was a 9-year-old girl who was murdered by her neighbor Alyssa Bustamante, who was 15 at the time, in St. Martins, Missouri on October 21, 2009.[2]
Bustamante lured Olten into the woods before strangling and stabbing her to death. Bustamante murdered Olten simply due to homicidal ideation and to see what it was like to kill someone. She was later indicted and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of conditional release in 2024 for second-degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years, and the two charges carry consecutive sentences.
Bustmante was controversially permitted a parole hearing in 2024, due to Senate Bill 26, a law meant to allow juvenile offenders earlier parole as part of jail reform efforts.[3] Senate Bill 26 blocked those convicted of first degree murder from seeking this parole, but not those convicted of second degree murder (which Bustamante pled guilty to). Senate Bill 26 was later amended by Senate Bill 754, which blocks those convicted of second degree murder from this parole as well. Governor Mike Parson did not sign Senate Bill 754 in time to prevent the hearing. She was denied parole.[4] In any event, even if Bustamante is granted parole from the life sentence, she will still have to serve the consecutive sentence of 30 years in prison. This makes her earliest probable release in 2059, when she will be 65 years old.
- ^ "Woman reaches $5 million settlement in daughter's death". Archived from the original on 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- ^ Horng, Eric; Ferran, Lee; Friedman, Emily (November 18, 2009). "Teen Murder Suspect Was Indicted, Wanted to Know 'What It Felt Like to Kill'". ABC News. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ Gerber, Cameron. "Bipartisan parole changes for minors signed into law". TheMissouriTimes. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ Geisler, Lucas (2024-07-22). "Convicted teen killer Alyssa Bustamante denied parole; hearing reset for 2029". ABC17. Retrieved 2024-10-04.