MO - Elizabeth Olten, 9, St Martin's, 21 Oct 2009 #14

[Angel Who Cares]

Mo. murder suspect asks to wear own clothing
March 4, 2010 7:44 PM ET
<snipped>
Lawyers for a central Missouri teenager charged with killing her 9-year-old neighbor want the suspect to appear in court in her own clothes.

Sixteen-year-old Alyssa Bustamante has a pretrial hearing scheduled Monday in Cole County Circuit Court in Jefferson City.

Defense lawyers filed a motion this week seeking to let Bustamante wear her own clothing at all court appearances. They say pretrial images of the teen in jail clothing would impair the presumption of innocence.

Article:
http://www.koamtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12087165
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jury From Greene County to Hear Bustamante
Friday, March 5, 2010 12:25 PM CST
<snipped>
A jury from the Springfield area will hear the murder case against Alyssa Bustamante.

Friday, Bustamnte&#8217;s lawyers met with officials from the Cole County Prosecutor&#8217;s Office and both parties then came to the office of Cole County Presiding Judge Pat Joyce where they mutually agreed to bring the jury from Greene County to Cole County for the trial.

Bustamante had been scheduled to have a hearing, and be in the courtroom, Monday, but that has now been canceled.

Her next status hearing is set for April 28 and she will not be required to be in the courtroom for that hearing.

She remains held in the Morgan County Jail, for Cole County.

Among the motions to be taken up during the April hearing is one to allow her to dress in civilian clothing in future court appearances.

Article:
http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2010/03/05/breaking_news/doc4b914c29e1844851905748.txt

:angel:

 

[Gray]

I am thrilled that it's being held in Greene County. That's where I live and I know the jurors here will make sure justice is served. I was really hoping they'd pick my area.

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Greene County jury to hear central Mo. murder case of 9-year-old
Posted: Mar 05, 2010 2:33 PM EST
<snipped>
Jurors will be selected from the Springfield area for the murder trial of a central Missouri teenager charged with killing her 9-year-old neighbor. Attorneys agreed Friday to bring jurors from Greene County to hear the Cole County trial of 16-year-old Alyssa Bustamante.

Defense lawyers also filed a motion this week seeking to let Bustamante wear her own clothes in court. They say pretrial images of the teen in jail clothing would impair the presumption of innocence.

A pretrial hearing had been scheduled for Monday, but was postponed to April 28.

Article:
http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=12091425
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bustamante status hearing canceled
Friday, March 05, 2010 at 1:52 p.m.
<snipped>
Prosecutor Mark Richardson and Defense Attorney Don Catlett decided to pick the jury from Greene County, where Springfield, Mo. is located. The next court date is scheduled for April 28 at 11 a.m. where her appearance is excused

A motion was filed Wednesday to allow Bustamante to wear her own clothes to the trial. That motion is still being discussed.

PDF: See the judge's order here
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/uploadedFiles/krcg/News/Stories/~0923211.pdf

Article:
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=425832
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Greene County, MO Jury To Be Chosen for Bustamante Trial
Friday, Mar 5, 2010 @06:09pm CST
<snipped>
A jury from Greene County will hear the trial of a teenager accused of killing nine-year-old Elizabeth Olten. Authorities say Alyssa Bustamante led them to Elizabeth's body in October in a wooded area. They say she confessed, saying she 'wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone.'

Attorneys for Bustamante requested a change of venue. Prosecutors asked for the out-of-town jury due to the amount of evidence and the number of local witnesses in the case.

Video: Greene County, MO Jury To Be Chosen for Bustamante Trial
http://ozarksfirst.com/content/video/?cid=242131

Video: Out-of-Town Jury to Hear Bustamante Trial
http://ozarksfirst.com/content/video/?cid=236352

Article:
http://ozarksfirst.com/content/fulltext/?cid=242131

:angel:

 

[lawlady84]

I didn't know she is being held in general population. You'd think she'd need to be in protective custody given what she's accused of.

 

[revampz]

like someone said before.......that was the first time I had heard that she had planned the murder for months as well....

wow it was premeditated not just a decision made that day......she is one sick little girl.

 

[iluvmua]

Anybody know when AB's trial is going to start?

 

[tlcya]

I know this is now OT, but I have been away and have just been catching up with the threads. Earlier in the thread there was alot of debate over whether AB should be imprisoned and where and for how long. I think we can all agree it is not normal behavior for a 15 year old to "wonder what it would be like to kill someone" and then to further follow that query by actually murdering a poor defenseless child. That coupled with the fact that she was already involved with mental health services prior to this event pretty much makes the case for this girl being somehow phsychologically damaged.

Nobody is going to argue that point. I can be sympathetic, I can feel the system and society may have failed this girl by not getting her the help she must certainly have needed BEFORE she commited this tragic act. But I draw the line at her receiving anything less than a prolonged period of incarceration.

Do I hope she receives some counseling? You betcha. Do I hope that she someday can come to realize what a horrific thing she has done? Yep. Do I think she should be in some mental health facility rather than actual prison? NO WAY!

I can sympathize only inasmuchas, I wish she had been helped/stopped before murdering. Now that she has, we need to first and foremost PROTECT future victims from harm. AB may well have been a victim of her early childhood experiences but the only victim I can worry about at this point is little Elizabeth.

 

[LadyRider]

Thanks to all for all the updates. Sounds like a lot of information discovered by LEO, PREMEDITATED!!! For Months!!!

 

[swanniee11]

bumping since she is supposed to have a hearing today.

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Greene County jury to hear Bustamante trial
March 8, 2010
<snipped>
The status hearing for Alyssa Bustamante in Central Missouri has been pushed back. Cole County prosecutor Mark Richardson says the hearing set for today has been rescheduled for April 28th.

At issue was jury selection, which happened Friday.

Richardson says a Greene County jury will be selected there and then brought to Jefferson City in Cole County for the trial.

AUDIO: Interview with Prosecutor Mark Richardson 3 min MP3
http://www.missourinet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Mark-Richardson-jury-selection-030810.mp3

Article:
http://www.missourinet.com/2010/03/08/greene-co-jury-to-hear-bustamante-trial/

:angel:

 

[akashana]

http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=427454

COLE COUNTY, MO. -- Attorneys for accused murderer Alyssa Bustamante will be allowed to review her juvenile court records.

Judge Pat Joyce ordered the records’ release Monday because the court finds it necessary for the preparation of an adequate defense for Bustamante.

The order also makes clear that anyone with the Cole County juvenile division is allowed to speak to Bustamante’s attorney regarding the previously sealed documents.

A status hearing in Bustamante's case is scheduled for April 28. Bustamante, however, is not required to be there in person.

 

[debloree]

Anything new on this case? Such a sad story.

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Bustamante lawyers want to keep research secret
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at 3:48 p.m.
<snipped>
The public defenders for accused murderer 16-year-old Alyssa Bustamante have asked to keep their research and witness list secret.

The defense wants private access to records from Bustamante's past. But many of those records are privacy protected and can only be obtained by court order, meaning the prosecution would know what records the defense requested.

A judge could rule on the motion at the next court date of April 28.

Article:
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=436966

:angel:

 

[tlcya]

bumpity bump sweety. Justice for Elizabeth.

 

[tlcya]

bumpity bump Elizabeth. I haven't forgotten hon.

 

[Stella5]

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/16-year-old-accused-killer-wants-to-go-back-to-school-tax-payers-to-pay-for-classes-91584564.html

Seriously? Alyssa should have thought about staying in high school and getting her diploma instead of killing Elizabeth "just to see what it would feel like to kill someone".

 

[JLMcKenna83]

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/16-year-old-accused-killer-wants-to-go-back-to-school-tax-payers-to-pay-for-classes-91584564.html

Seriously? Alyssa should have thought about staying in high school and getting her diploma instead of killing Elizabeth "just to see what it would feel like to kill someone".

Can't she just get her GED while there, at no extra cost? Or does MO not do that? Can they deny her an education? Besides.. if everything is right with the world, she'll never need a HS diploma or a GED. She'll be behind bars for the rest of her life. Making 10 cents an hour busting out license plates or something..

I don't believe she should be able to get it. Elizabeth won't. Maybe if she spent more time worry about school instead of digging graves she wouldn't be in this mess in the first place.

 

[Angel Who Cares]

Lawyers petition that Bustamante finish high school
Monday, April 19, 2010 at 5:46 p.m.
<snipped>
Attorneys for teenage murder suspect Alyssa Bustamante have petitioned the court to allow the girl to finish her high school education.

Despite being charged as an adult, her lawyers said she still has rights to an education.

They want the court to order that Bustamante have access to on-line education services provided by the University of Missouri and that the county pays for it.

The matter could be taken up at a hearing scheduled for April 28.

PDF: Full Petition
http://www.colecountycourts.org/doc...Allow Alyssa to Complete High School 4-16.pdf

Article:
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=445764
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bustamante wants to finish her high school education
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 2:10 AM CDT
<snipped>
Public Defenders Donald Catlett and Charles Moreland also asked Cole County Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce to consider the issue at a status hearing already set for April 28.

Specifically, they want Joyce to order Cole County Sheriff Greg White and his staff to &#8220;allow Alyssa&#8217;s enrollment in MU High School through the University of Missouri Center for Distance and Independent Study ... pay the costs of tuition, books and required material ... allow Alyssa unrestricted access and use of her school books and educational materials and provide a suitable location for testing by examination proctors.&#8221;

Also set for discussion next week is the attorneys&#8217; March 3 motion that Bustamante &#8220;be allowed to dress in her own civilian clothing without visible restraints, during all appearances and while being transported to and from those court appearances, in order to preserve her right to a fair trial.&#8221;

In their three-page motion filed Friday and released Monday by the court, Catlett and Moreland noted Bustamante was &#8220;a student enrolled in the 10th grade at Jefferson City High School ... when Alyssa was first taken into custody.&#8221;

They also cite the state Constitution&#8217;s requirement that &#8220;every Missouri child is entitled to a free public education,&#8221; and that, &#8220;although Alyssa was certified to face the present charge as an adult, she is still a child.&#8221;

Citing several state and federal court rulings as precedent, Bustamante&#8217;s lawyers argue &#8220;the Cole County Sheriff, having the charge, control and custody of Alyssa, is responsible for enrolling Alyssa in a program of academic instruction which complies with Missouri&#8217;s Compulsory Attendance Law.&#8221;

Officials have said Jefferson City Public School officials expelled the teen after she was charged, but the lawyers argue the expulsion does not relieve the sheriff of his responsibilities for her education.

Article:
http://newstribune.com/articles/2010/04/20/news_local/nt255local20bustamonteeducation10.txt

:angel:

 

[BeanE]

I'm so sick of the coddling of criminals, and putting taxpayer money into criminals who can't be rehabilitated. Alyssa doesn't need an education. She just needs to be contained and adequately maintained, at minimal cost, so she doesn't kill or hurt anyone else.

MOO

 

[tlcya]

ITA BeanE. It is one thing to try to rehabilitate/educate criminals who are going to be released back onto our streets in a short while. I get that, to try to stop recidivism.

But the whole deal with murderers getting free education, sometimes college educations and even degrees pizziz me off to no end. Meanwhile, lots of law abiding citizens can't afford to get that same education but their taxes go to pay for prisoners to have them?? And do not even get me started on the tv priviledges etc.

What happened to prison being a deterent? Are they even pretending they are trying to deter repeat visits to prison? Sure doesn't seem that way.

Rpsion should be punishment, not summer camp, complete with "movie nights"