JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri teenager is about to find out her sentence for murdering a young neighbor girl.
Eighteen-year-old Alyssa Bustamante (boost-ah-MAHN'-tay) faces the possibility of life in prison when she's sentenced Wednesday morning for the 2009 slaying of 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten. Bustamante was 15 at the time of the murder and confessed to killing Elizabeth by choking her, slashing her throat and repeatedly stabbing her. In a diary entry after the murder that was read in court Bustamante described being exhilarated by the crime, calling it "pretty enjoyable."
Prosecutors argued for the life sentence, describing Bustamante as a thrill killer who lacked remorse. Defense attorneys said she was a disturbed teen and noted a family history of drug abuse, mental disorders and suicide attempts.