Mo. Teen Described as Thrill Killer by Prosecutors

Mo. teen described as thrill killer by prosecutors – JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri teenager who confessed to murdering a young neighbor girl faces the possibility of life in prison when she’s sentenced Wednesday morning. Alyssa Bustamante, 18, was described by prosecutors as a thrill killer who lacked remorse and by defense attorneys as a disturbed child who deserved the chance to be set free one day. The trial’s conclusion follows days of testimony in a small courtroom in Missouri’s capital city. Proceedings descended into chaos Tuesday as prosecutor Mark Richardson was making an impassioned, final plea for a lifelong sentence for Bustamante, who pleaded guilty to murdering 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten in October 2009. Bustamante’s grandmother and grandfather stormed out of the courtroom. That prompted Bustamante — who had been staring blankly downward as Richardson recounted her crime — to begin silently crying for the first time in her court proceedings that have spanned more than two years. Then as Cole County Circuit Judge Pat Joyce announced that she would reveal her sentence on Wednesday, Elizabeth’s grandmother interrupted and cried out from her wheelchair. “I think Alyssa should get out of jail the same day Elizabeth gets out of the grave!” declared the grandmother, whom a prosecutor later identified as Sandy Corn. The disorder capped what was an emotional, two-day sentencing hearing highlighted by repeated references to words Bustamante — then age 15 — had written in her diary on the night she strangled …

Anti-drug youth camp begins Tuesday

Filed under: Drug Addiction Missouri

The camp is offered by Operation UNITE, a regional initiative formed to fight the drug epidemic in the area. Along with activities designed to educate participants in the dangers of drug abuse, the camp also offers skill classes, games and awards …
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