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Childhood

Alyssa Bustamante allegedly grew up with a drug addicted mother and a father who spent time in prison. When she was 8, her grandparents took legal custody of her and her three siblings. Despite her situation, Alyssa got good grades, was active in church, and was involved in other activities.

In grade school, Alyssa Bustamante got good grades, was active in church, and seemed like a normal kid.

In 2007, when she was 13, things changed. She was hospitalized after a suicide attempt and spent 10 days in a psychiatric hospital. Soon after, she was put on antidepressants. She then picked up a habit of cutting herself or burning herself with cigarettes. She didn’t mind telling her friends about her bad habits or showing off her scars.

As time passed, she had more suicide attempts, more medications, and inpatient and outpatient therapy, but nothing seemed to help. She continued to show signs of a dark side by posting on social media that “killing people” and “cutting” were her hobbies. She posted a YouTube video in which she tried to get her brothers to touch an electric fence. She also told her best friend she wondered what it would be like to kill someone.

Crime

On October 21st, 2009, Alyssa found out what it was like to kill when she took the life of her 9-year-old neighbor, Elizabeth Olten. Alyssa had her younger sister bring Olten to the woods to play. Alyssa strangled her, slit the young girl’s throat, and stabbed her 8 times in the chest. Then she buried her in a shallow grave behind her home that she had dug 5 days earlier.

After the gruesome murder, Bustamante wrote the following in her journal:

“I just fucking killed someone. I strangled them and slit their throat and stabbed them now they’re dead. I don’t know how to feel atm. It was amazing. As soon as you get over the “oh my god, I can’t do this” feeling, it’s pretty enjoyable. I’m kinda nervous and shaky though right now. Kay, I gotta go to church now lol.”

She then went to a church dance while police tried to locate the missing 9-year-old.

The day after the disappearance, Alyssa was questioned and her diary was confiscated. They also located several holes that were dug behind the Bustamantes’ home, one of them had Olten’s body inside.

Bustamante was arrested on first-degree murder charges and armed criminal action.

Legal Proceedings

She eventually took a plea deal for second-degree murder and armed criminal action. She was sentenced to life in prison with parole for the murder, plus a consecutive sentence of 30 years in prison for the armed criminal action offense.

Law Changes

Bustamante was supposed to be eligible for parole on the murder charge in 2044 after serving 35 years, but according to ABC17news, the laws changed in 2021, when Missouri lawmakers passed Senate Bill 26, allowing juvenile criminals, except those convicted of first-degree murder, to be parole eligible after 15 years.

Parole

Because of the new law, she had her first parole hearing for the murder charge in July 2024, but according to ABC17news, she was denied.

Her next parole hearing is in July 2029. If she is paroled on the murder charge in 2029, she still has to serve her 30-year sentence for armed criminal action. According to Missourinet, she only has to serve 33% of that sentence before being eligible for parole, meaning a 2039 release at the earliest. She would be 45 years old.

It’s unlikely things will go that way. She will most likely die in prison, or get out when she is an old lady.

More Law Changes

According to ABC17news, the day after Bustamante’s parole hearing, Governor Mike Parsons signed Senate Bill 754, preventing teens convicted of second-degree murder from getting early parole in the future.

Lawmakers want this retroactively applied to Bustamante, but it’s unclear if that will happen. If it does, she will have to wait until 2044 to see a parole board again.