JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A teenager who told investigators that she strangled, cut and stabbed a 9-year-old neighbor because she wanted to know what it felt like pleaded guilty for the girl's death. Alyssa Bustamante pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Tuesday for killing Elizabeth Olten in October 2009 in a rural town just west of Jefferson City.
A state Highway Patrol officer testified Bustamante confessed to strangling Elizabeth, cutting her throat and stabbing her because she wanted to know how it felt. Investigators say Bustamante led them to the girl's body in the woods near her home.
Bustamante was charged as an adult with first-degree murder and was scheduled to be tried this month.
The guilty plea included a chilling admission in court about how it happened. Bustamante answered "yes" repeatedly when asked if she understood that she was giving up her right to a trial.
The judge then asked Bustamante to describe the killing. Bustamante looked at the judge and said she stabbed Elizabeth in the chest.
The judge asked if Bustamante cut the girl's throat. Asked if she knew what she was doing, the teen said yes. She said she used a knife and strangled the victim with her hands.
At that, the victim's mother, sitting in court just a few feet away, took a deep breath and dabbed her eyes with tissues.
First-degree murder carries a sentence of life in prison without parole. Second-degree murder is punishable by a 10- to 30-year (life) prison sentence with the possibility of parole. A sentencing hearing is set for Feb. 6.
Attorney Matt Diehr says Elizabeth's mother and other relatives plan to "continue to seek justice" by any legal means available.
