August 27, 2025 • 61 mins
Alyssa Bustamante has been labeled a thrill killer, a psychopath, and an evil monster. Only a child of fifteen herself when she committed an act of unimaginable violence, she remains a true killing anomaly. Part 2 of this story explores the dark layers of this young female offender, signs of psychopathy, and discusses how our society defines juvenile justice.
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Comments, questions, or ideas for future episodes? DM me on IG at shadesofmurder_podcast, or you can reach me at alitadogmasshadesofmurder@gmail.com
Research for Episode 57 includes:
Courses: Gender & Crime, Criminal Justice System, Violence in America, Criminology
Alyssa D. Bustamante, Appellant, v. State of Missouri, Respondent. (2015) | FindLaw
Alyssa Bustamante Interrogation Video
Alyssa Bustamante | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers
Alyssa Bustamante sentenced in child murder case - CSMonitor.com
Elizabeth-Olten-murder-Mother-sues-mental-health-clinic-Missouri-teen-killed-daughter
Evidence in Bustamante case detailed
Journal helps police find a 2009 Missouri teen thrill killer
Judge Grants Motion to Suppress Evidence in Bustamante Case | Fulton Sun
Petition · Repeal Law That Could Free Elizabeth Olten's Murderer Alyssa Bustamante Within 3 Years - United States · Change.org
Psychopathy Symptoms and Signs
www.researchgate.net/publication/307819660_The_Traits_and_the_Thrill_of_Serial_Kill
Teen killer had troubled family
Witness Testimony Key in Bustamante Sentencing | News | komu.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:06):
Hello and welcome to Shades of Murder.
I am your host Alita Caldwell. In this podcast, I discuss cases
of murder from around the world and throughout history,
attempting to unravel the layersof darkness that help make
humans and to monsters. Please be forewarned that each
(00:29):
episode contains specific and attimes very graphic and
disturbing details of the case. This show is not intended for
all audiences and listener discretion is strongly advised.
(01:25):
In the last episode, I discussedthe horrifying and tragic murder
of nine year old Elizabeth Oltonand her unexpected killer, 15
year old Alyssa Bustamante. This is the second piece of the
shocking true story of a child murderer who by all accounts,
was a child herself when she committed this heinous, vicious
(01:46):
crime. It would be so easy, even lazy,
to call Alyssa Bustamante an evil monster and end the
discussion and her story there. This is what most people,
including fellow true crime podcasters, do when discussing
her and this horrible, tragic case.
However, the reason I wanted to cover her case and I chose to
(02:08):
extend it to two episodes is that she is a compelling
offender to me for multiple reasons.
Please be aware that I am not a psychiatrist nor am IA licensed
therapist. However, I do have a degree in
criminology and hopefully it hasbeen demonstrated to you, my
dear listeners, by now that I conduct extensive research for
(02:29):
every episode. I think it's critical that as a
society we attempt to comprehendhow and why an individual,
especially a child or youth, cancommit inherently evil acts.
It is easy to label persons who murder as monstrosities whom we
can't possibly relate to on any level.
(02:52):
When we do this, we dissociate ourselves from them and their
crimes. In this goal to separate them
from us, we have created an almost mythological aura around
serial killers and other similardepraved violent offenders.
I think in some ways it's easierto deal with the darkness that
exists within others if we placethem into compartment of evil,
(03:14):
rather than acknowledge that most of them are shattered
individuals who weren't capable of processing and handling the
trauma and abuse they were dealtwith in life in any normal or
healthy manner. The criminal profile and story
of Alyssa Bustamante is important to know and discuss,
not because of her shocking and vile crimes, but because of how
(03:35):
much of an anomaly this young woman truly is.
First of all, her youth and gender made her highly unlikely
to commit such a heinous, premeditated crime.
By making her sister Emma an accomplice and leaving behind a
trail of evidence for law enforcement to find, Alyssa
Bustamanti exhibited arrogance, sloppiness, and a lack of
(03:56):
organization. This was likely a reflection of
her youth, in particular her impulsiveness, recklessness, and
poor judgment, all well known characteristics of a developing
typical teenager's brain. If it weren't for these crucial
mistakes, Alyssa Bustamante may never have been caught.
Secondly, although some signs point to her being a psychopath,
(04:19):
other factors and traits don't. Don't get me wrong, Alyssa
Bustamante deserves to be in prison for the rest of her life.
Despite her age at the time of the offense, she will most
likely continue to be denied parole based on the evidence of
premeditation, the degree of brutality of the crime, and the
victim having been an innocent and helpless child.
(04:41):
However, it is critical to discuss her from a
criminological view and analyze the various aspects of her life
and behavior which culminated inthis tragedy.
Alyssa Bustamante was described as being a very bright and
clever girl in a sneaky kind of way, but who openly struggled.
With her depression. She had never been in trouble at
school or involved in any sort of juvenile delinquency outside
(05:04):
of a few incidents of not being where she said she would be.
There was an occasion where she snuck off to a music concert in
Saint Louis and she spent the night out in the woods a few
times without her grandparents knowing.
However, she had never had any encounter with the justice
system before being arrested forfirst degree murder.
Her grades were above average and at the time of the offense,
(05:26):
she was in the top third of her class.
Alisa Bustamante did not fit anykind of violent offender
profile, especially for a girl. It is a criminal fact that males
commit far more homicides than females.
Official crime data from 2023 revealed that of the 21,504
(05:49):
known homicide offenders, 14,327were male compared to only 1898
females. Interestingly, there were an
additional 5279 perpetrators of homicide whose gender was
unidentified or unknown. This equates to approximately
.88% of all murders being committed by females.
(06:14):
This is an extremely low percentage of homicides being
committed by women and girls, which is why when females commit
murder, it is still perceived asa shocking and very rare
incident. Women and girls who commit
murder overwhelmingly do so for the means of utility, usually
for the gain of money. Studies on female offenders
(06:36):
revealed that they also killed primarily for means of survival.
It could be to survive violent abuse from an intimate partner
in a moment of self-defense or their desire to end prolonged
abuse. And sometimes it's just to
survive the streets. Girls who kill share very
similar traits and characteristics to women in
(06:56):
terms of their motivations, and even fewer studies have been
conducted on them. This is very unfortunate and
irresponsible, since murders committed by girls and younger
women appeared to have become increasingly more common in
recent decades. Other.
Females kill in what are described as crimes of passion.
These incidents involve either their lover, boyfriend,
(07:16):
girlfriend who has rejected or betrayed them, or their love
rival, and sometimes both. An example of this kind of
killer would be Tennessee Death Rose Krista Pike, who brutally
slayed a young woman in 1995 whom she believed was after her
boyfriend. For some female offenders, the
motivation can stem from a darker, more psychopathic plays.
(07:38):
Sometimes it can arise from a desire for power, control and
domination. It may derive from the desperate
need for her attention or even abizarre sense of mission driven
killing. Women and girls tend to murder
those closest to them. They prey on the weak and the
vulnerable, in particular when the motivation is financial.
(07:58):
Female juvenile murders are by far the rarest of violent
offenders. Most of these killings involve
crimes of passion, as aforementioned, where envy and
jealousy of another female are the primary motive, and they
often involve more than one offender.
This kind of murder can be seen in the horrific attack of 12
(08:18):
year old Shonda Shearer in Indiana by a group of girls led
by the jealous 16 year old Melinda Loveless.
In the case where the victims are family members, they tend to
revolve around a forbidden love interest.
Typically, these events involve a younger female who becomes
obsessed with a much older male suitor whom the parents attempt
(08:40):
to keep apart. This can lead to further
obsession and eventually a plan to eliminate those who are
interfering in the relationship.In the twisted perception of the
lovestruck teen, the only way tobe with a man they love is to
kill their parents and sometimeseven their siblings.
(09:01):
This kind of family killing was demonstrated in the case of 16
year old Aaron Caffey from Texasin 2008.
All three of these examples havebecome quite notorious in the
world of true crime because theywere so disturbing, brutal and
most of all, extremely rare. Another more well known scenario
(09:21):
involves a young female. At the behest of the older male
partner, he becomes involved in killing and sometimes even the
torture of another individual ormultiple persons.
This has been demonstrated through various killer duas
throughout history, in particular serial killer
couples. Whether the female is a willing
and active participant or a compliant accomplice, they
(09:43):
traditionally commit the crimes to please their MO partner or to
prevent him from causing them harm.
Or at least that is what most ofthese family offenders claim to
be their motivation. Such an infamous case is
illustrated through Canada's Carla Harmonka.
What is almost unheard of, and the most shocking to hear, is
(10:06):
when a young woman kills someoneof her own accord, her own free
will, her own premeditated, vileplan to take another's life for
pleasure. Alyssa Bustamante did not fit
into the typical profile of a delinquent teen, much less a
cold blooded, sadistic murderer.And yet there were many, many
(10:30):
alarming signs of pending violence, up to and including
her potential for homicide. Born to a drug addicted teen
mother and abusive father, Alyssa Bustamante was exposed to
domestic violence, her mother's sexual activity with multiple
men inside the home, and substance abuse.
Her mother had a criminal recordwhich included mainly petty
(10:51):
crimes like drug possession and a DUI.
Her father was sentenced to 10 years for felony assault and had
not been in her life since she was a very young child, except
for the occasional letter from prison.
Alyssa and her three younger siblings were faced with a life
of continuous hardship. Her mother had run away from
their home, abandoning her four small kids on multiple
(11:13):
occasions. This was all before Alyssa had
turned 7. It was during this time that her
grandparents felt they had no other choice but to intervene
and help. They didn't want the children
split up into foster care and sothey took it upon themselves to
care for them all. Since her mother was neglectful
and randomly disappeared on themand her father was in prison,
(11:35):
her grandparents were granted guardianship over all four young
kids, Alyssa being the eldest. One particular time when her
mother took off, it had dire consequences.
On Labor Day weekend, 2713 year old Alyssa Bustamante was found
unconscious. She had been discovered
collapsed in the shower by her grandmother after swallowing a
(11:56):
large bottle of Tylenol. Her arms had hundreds of tiny
cuts on them made by a razor blade.
The girl had carved the word hate into one of them.
She survived the suicide attemptand was sent to a healthcare
facility for evaluation and treatment.
There, Alyssa Bustamante was given a prescription for Prozac,
a common antidepressant, and it seemed to do its job for a
(12:19):
while. Alyssa's grandparents were very
religious, and although they made sure that she and her
siblings were well taken care of, I don't know how their
relationships were. Were they affectionate and open
with her? Did they discuss the trauma and
abuse she had experienced as a child and how she was suffering
emotionally and psychologically as a result?
(12:41):
Alyssa regularly attended their Mormon church and did so right
after brutally slain a child, asrecorded in her diary.
It was clear that religion didn't seem to make any impact
on her moral compass. If anything, she mocked it.
I wonder if her grandparents thought that if she read the
Bible and went to church enough,it would miraculously fix her
(13:04):
issues and save her from the looming darkness.
There were many signs that Alyssa Bustamante was spiraling
down a dark path which were essentially ignored by those in
her life and in the very least, were not taken seriously enough.
Everything Alyssa Bustamante portrayed on social media, the
(13:25):
words and pictures that decorated her bedroom walls and
especially those inside her journal, was strong evidence of
a young girl who was obsessed with death and violence and
wanted to die. Earlier in the year, at her 15th
birthday party, Alyssa Bustamante made a shocking and
disturbing statement to her oncebest friend, Jennifer Meyer.
(13:48):
According to Jennifer, out of nowhere, Alyssa pulled her aside
and said to her, and I quote, I just wonder what it would be
like just to kill someone, see the life just drain out of
someone. I wonder what it would feel like
that type of power to take that away from someone.
Jennifer just thought at the time she was being weird and
dark and did take her words seriously.
(14:09):
A week before she murdered 9 year old Elizabeth Olton,
Alyssa's cell phone charger was dead.
One night she was all alone in her room and she couldn't talk
to anyone about the depression and pain she was drowning in.
She wrote in her diary in a quote.
If I don't talk about it, I bottle it up, and when I
(14:30):
explode, someone's going to die.On Twitter, she wrote that there
must be some reason for all thispain.
All of these expressions of her rage, sadness, and darkness were
in full display for not only those closest in her circle to
(14:51):
see and hear, but for the entireworld if they had listened.
She did not hide her sickness, but rather she played it up,
almost reveling in it, crafting a dark, dramatic, and alluring
image of herself. This resulted in a harrowing
persona of how she wanted to present herself and what she
(15:13):
wanted to project into society. Alisa Bustamante has been
described as a thrill killer in large part because the main
detective stated that the reasonshe murdered Elizabeth Olton was
because she wanted to know how it felt to kill.
As I pointed out in the first episode of this case, these
exact words were never spoken bythe offender to law enforcement.
(15:33):
However, since she did express this specific desire to kill to
one of her close friends, it is impossible to deny that her main
motivation was to experience thepower and pleasure of taking a
life. This kind of offender is the
rarest of them all. They defy all understanding and
(15:54):
possible explanation as to what triggers this kind of thrill
killing behaviour, especially ina young woman.
So what exactly defines the actions and profile of a thrill
killer? Thrill killing, a type of murder
committed for the reasons as defined by its name, for the
(16:15):
thrill of taking a life, sounds pretty straightforward as to the
primary motivation behind such an offender's purpose for
killing. However, what makes an
individual into a thrill killer is seemingly much more complex.
For the majority of society, we struggle to comprehend, much
less understand, such an act andthe type of person who commits
(16:39):
it. Thrill killers are a typology
that was developed to understanddifferent types of serial
killing, specifically those committed by males.
This type of murderer kills to obtain gratification and
pleasure through the act of killing.
Thrill killers are driven by theACT alone.
They are excited and energized by the pain and terror they can
(17:01):
inflict on their victim. Traditionally, they are not
interested in the body post mortem.
Unlike other sadistic killers, they don't mutilate or play with
a corpse. They rarely commit any sexual
acts during, much less after thekill.
Psychologists have observed thattheir thrill from killing is
intertwined with the power and control they exert over their
(17:23):
victims. People who kill For these
reasons very often are associated with severe childhood
trauma, specifically abuse. They suffer from feelings of
unworthiness and have a great desire for power and control.
This trauma has been noted to desensitize some individuals
toward pain and violence, leading them to lack empathy and
(17:44):
have minimal attachment to others.
Women who kill for the thrill, who are stimulated by the act of
murder and torture, are extremely uncommon.
They are pretty much nonexistent.
There are very few known female thrill killers, or at least
those who have been properly identified.
Multiple murderer Joanna Dennehyof the United Kingdom has been
(18:06):
deemed by some to be a thrill killer.
Jane Taupin, the 19th century serial killer nurse of Boston,
who might have covered in a previous episode, openly
expressed how she murdered for pleasure.
Even the infamous Aileen Warnos has been described as a
thriller, although I personally don't agree with this label to
define her motivations. Needless to say, most women who
(18:28):
have been described under this motivation have almost always
been part of a murdering duo, usually headed by a male.
The motivations of Alyssa Bustamantes were undoubtedly
sadistic and pleasure driven. Based on her journal entry,
after she murdered 9 year old Elizabeth Olton, Alyssa
Bustamantes suffered severe trauma, abuse, and neglect
(18:49):
before she was even born. The teenager struggled with her
inner demons and battled againstdepression and feelings of
worthlessness. She did not feel of any value
and she lacked control over her life.
All of these. Characteristics to find what is
known about throw killers in theact of luring in or stalking
their victim, taking them by surprise, inflicting brutality
(19:13):
upon the individual, and causingthe person terror and pain.
They regain their sense of power, strength, and control.
The pain and suffering that define their very existence is
now erased, at least temporarily, by causing pain and
suffering to another and having the power to end their life.
(19:36):
Upon close analysis though, I tend to think her motivations
were much more complicated than simply killing for the thrill.
Alisa Bustamante was an extremely disturbed teenage girl
who was fascinated with death and violence, and the concept of
killing herself was projected onto her victim.
I think to some extent she was trying to get rid of herself
hatred by victimizing the most innocent.
(20:00):
Everyone has labeled this girl an evil monster.
Were her actions those of 1? Undoubtedly yes, and there were
clear signs of her being psychotic.
But is she evil? Is she a psychopath, or is she a
tragic result of her upbringing?Perhaps a little bit of both.
(20:21):
Psychopathy is a mental disorderthat is manifested from a
culmination of factors believed to be likely caused by genetic
factors which helped to mold andinfluence cognitive development
and personality traits. It is also a reaction to social
and environmental elements. Psychopathy as a clinical
construct is defined by a pattern of interpersonal,
(20:43):
emotional, and behavioral traitsthan an individual exhibits.
Considered one of the most serious of the personality
disorders. The recovery rate of individuals
suffering from psychopathy is very low and the effects it can
have on a personal and social level are extensive.
The prevalence of psychopathy isthought to affect anywhere
(21:04):
between .5 to 1% of individuals in society.
However, it is believed that as high as 20 to 25% of all
prisoners could be diagnosed with the disorder.
Research indicates that psychopaths are responsible for
more than half of all serious crimes committed.
Studies on psychopathy in men and women reveal that the
(21:27):
condition is very rare in females.
However, along with male prisoners, female prisoners
often exhibit signs of the disorder.
One study showed that as high as17% of female prisoners could be
diagnosed as psychopathic. This is in comparison to roughly
31% of male prisoners. Emotional traits of a psychopath
(21:50):
include flat effect, lack of empathy, Morser guilt and
egocentricity. Alyssa Bustamante fully exhibits
these traits when she writes in her diary about how killing
Elizabeth Olton made her feel. There is 0 expression conveyed
about what a horrible thing it was to do.
Elizabeth Olton is not a child she murdered, but she merely
(22:14):
becomes an object. That was used to fulfill her
homicidal desires. Interpersonal characteristics of
a psychopath show themselves in acts of arrogance,
impulsiveness, lack of responsibility, grandiose sense
of self, and manipulation. Elsa Bustamante's act of killing
was not impulsive since she planned to commit murder based
(22:35):
on her pre emptive digging of the graves, but her selection of
Elizabeth Olton does not appear to have been planned, at least
not on that particular day. During the interrogation video,
Alyssa Bustamante attempts to manipulate the detective and the
juvenile officer into believing her version of events on the day
she killed Elizabeth. She is bold, confident, even
(22:57):
arrogant, while she sits back inthe chair with ease, casually
painting a story she is trying to sell them.
The behavior of a psychopath hasbeen observed to show dismissal
of social norms and rules and display scary, violent and
irresponsible behavior. Alisa Bustamante portrayed
herself across social media as someone who rebelled against
(23:18):
society's expectations, especially expectations of a
young female. She chose dramatic, often
violent imagery and expressions to depict her persona, whose
main purpose appeared to be for the attention it received.
The characteristics and traits of psychopathy vary from person
to person, but there are a few core features.
(23:41):
These include an uncaring temperament, boldness, and
social dominance, in addition todisinhibited behavior.
An uncaring temperament is the social and emotional foundation
of being a psychopath. These kinds of individuals
exhibit no remorse, regret, or guilt over their actions.
They are liars, manipulators, and use people to get what they
(24:03):
want. Secondly, they are known to be
risk takers. Their appearance and demeanor is
1 full of confidence, even arrogance, and they fail to
avoid behavior that in the past has already led to problems.
The third core trait is disinhibited behavior.
This involves actions and behavior that are spontaneous,
(24:24):
random, and often unplanned. These individuals fail to uphold
their promises or commitments, including work or school, or to
their personal life. There is a divide amongst
researchers on whether or not criminal behavior is a key
element of psychopathy or if it is a consequence.
As in most areas of criminology,the majority of studies
(24:44):
conducted on psychopathy have been focused on males.
However, the research performed on male psychopaths versus
females have revealed some interesting differences.
Research on psychopathy has beenconducted in two distinct ways.
One school of research has been focused on behavior, where the
other is centered around personality.
(25:05):
The behavioral approach is the one which the APA or the
American Psychiatric Associationemploys in its diagnostic
system, also known as the DSM 4,where psychopathy falls under
antisocial personality disorder.This diagnosis primarily
includes concepts of behavior with emotional traits associated
to them, but it is not a prerequisite to the diagnosis.
(25:28):
This category far exceeds the realm of psychopathy and would
encompass most criminals. The other school is based upon
personality and is represented in the World Health Organization
diagnosis of Dissocial Personality disorder under their
International Statistical Classification System.
Also known as the ICD, this disorder is characterized by
(25:49):
individuals who pose a sharp resistance to the expected
behavior and codes of conduct. They are indifferent toward
these rules and norms and lack empathy.
They fail to experience guilt asthe rest of us do, and they lack
the capacity to feel remorse. This kind of individual does not
respond to negative reinforcement of behavior, such
(26:10):
as punishment, which does not deter or change their bad
behavior. They also have a tendency to
blame others for their actions, and they are at constant
conflict with society. It is estimated that 1/3 of
people who would be diagnosed asantisocial meet the criteria for
psychopathy. The latter criteria, defined by
(26:32):
disocial personality disorder, leans toward a closer match to
the definition of psychopathy, although neither school
thoroughly covers the term. How is psychopathy even measured
and thus diagnosed, you may be wondering?
The most common and validated tool is the Hair Psychopathy
Checklist, which includes a checklist of 20 items to which a
(26:53):
patient is assigned a score of 0to 2 based on how close they
align to each trait. These include many of the well
known characteristics and behavior of a psychopath such as
lack of guilt, no empathy, superficiality, shallow affect,
grandosity, lying, parasitic lifestyle manipulation,
impulsiveness, and the adolescent crime, among others.
(27:14):
Amongst researchers, the accepted threshold for
psychopathy is 30. The differences between genders
and psychopathy are noted as being significant in the ways
the disorder manifests itself. Researchers for Rosen and Cook
suggest that there are four points in the ways these
differences surface. These include behavior,
interpersonal characteristics, underlying psychological
(27:37):
mechanics, and different social norms.
Female psychopaths are often impulsive and characterized by
behavioral problems. They demonstrate this mainly by
running away, displaying signs of self-destructive and self
harming behavior, and various acts of manipulation.
Regarding behavior, Whereas men tend to run scams and commit
(27:57):
crimes of fraud, female psychopaths tend to use their
feminine Wiles, so to speak, to manipulate others.
In other words, they flirt to get their way, or at least
attempt to. Their criminal behavior leans
towards committee acts of fraud and theft rather than violence.
Forms of aggression vary betweenmen and women who are
(28:18):
psychopathic, with females beingaggressive verbally and within
their relationships and males being more physically
aggressive. These acts of aggression by
females can occur through manipulating others in their
social circle with the goal to ouster reject their targeted
victim. It also manifests itself in
threats of self harm. It has been observed how female
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psychopaths do not necessarily share the traits of
superficiality or grandosity like their male counterparts do.
It has been suggested that this may be due to differences in
culture and their upbringing. The underlying psychological
condition and its motivations also differ between men and
women and has also been discussed how social norms
(29:02):
affect the perception of psychopathic traits differently
between males and females. A study of female inmates
revealed that they are diagnosedwith emotionally unstable
personality disorder much more often than antisocial
personality disorder, which is amedical term for the presence of
two or more medical conditions existing in a patient, is
(29:25):
thought to possibly be a link with female psychopathy.
Few studies have been done in this area, but what does exist
suggests that both male and female psychopaths are suffering
from more than one medical condition.
In the case of Alyssa Bustamante, we can see her
depression, anxiety, ADD, borderline personality, in
(29:48):
addition to her antisocial or dyssocial personality disorder
are all strong evidence of her being inflicted with
comorbidity. This is an interesting concept
that warrants much more researchto possibly understand the
complexities of the brain and thus the personality and
(30:09):
behaviors of someone afflicted with more than one medical
condition. When psychopathy begins to merge
differs between the gingers as well.
Where males typically exhibit signs as early as childhood,
females initially show symptoms in adolescence.
Young women display relational forms of aggression, which are
(30:29):
brought on by jealousy, manipulation, self injury or
harming, and verbal aggression. At first glance, Alyssa
Bustamante doesn't fit the typical profile of a psychopath.
However, when you read about andconsider some of the distinct
differences between male and female psychopaths, the pattern
strongly align with her personality and behavior.
(30:53):
She. Was an abandoned, neglected
child whose grandparents seemed to love her and take care of
her, but they didn't really try to understand her.
Maybe this is simply a reflection of the large
generation gap? And or they're being highly
religious. There were so many signs, both
physical and psychological that were screaming for serious
(31:16):
intervention. Placing someone on Prozac is not
sufficient enough treatment for someone suffering from this
degree of mental illness and suicidal ideation.
I don't blame her grandparents at all, but the healthcare
facility and the therapist really failed when they let this
(31:36):
girl's psychosis slipped throughthe cracks.
During her stay at the hospital,she allegedly conveyed to one of
the counsellors that she wanted to kill someone and she had set
her eyes upon Elizabeth Olton. Elizabeth Olton was everything
Alyssa Bustamante was not. She was a girly girl who had a
(32:01):
loving home with a mother and siblings who adored her.
She was from a normal and healthy functioning family.
Elizabeth Olton was full of light, hope and purity and
Alyssa Bustamante's twisted and depraved mind which was over
(32:22):
running with thoughts of self hatred and darkness.
She sought to destroy something beautiful, somewhat entirely
innocent. There has been much speculation
as to who her initial intended victims were.
Since Alyssa Bustamante had dug 2 graves, some believe that the
graves were dug for her twin brothers.
(32:44):
This theory surfaced mainly due to how Alyssa expressed A
sadistic pleasure at seeing themelectrically themselves in the
previously mentioned YouTube video.
However, I don't think that reaction was intended to mean
she actually wanted her little brothers hurt, much less dead.
I mean, how many millions upon millions of YouTube and TikTok
(33:07):
videos demonstrate teens and preteens making light of
themselves and or their friends getting harmed or hurt in some
capacity by acting out in reckless, idiotic ways?
They intentionally create videosfor that primary purpose.
Now the other individual some people believe Alyssa initially
(33:27):
set out to murder was her littlesister Emma.
This theory is mainly based uponthe crude, violent depiction of
her little sister in the drawingfound in her bedroom.
But we don't know the context around the sketch, and by all
accounts, Emma was not afraid ofher big sister.
From what we do know of how Alyssa treated her younger
(33:49):
siblings, at least according to her grandmother, she cared for
them as if she was their parent and she did not abuse them or
cause them any intentional harm.That Alyssa Bustamante primarily
placed harm upon herself. Is what makes her distinct from
many other psychopaths. But after reading the research,
(34:09):
self injury or self harming in female psychopaths appears to be
pretty common. A typical psychopath is defined
by their highly narcissistic personality, their grandiose
sense of self. Someone who cussed themselves
all over and has attempted to kill themselves does not seem to
fall within this trait. However, when you look at her
(34:30):
social media presence, there is some indication of narcissism
there. There were signs of her desire
for attention, to craft an imageof herself, this alluring
darkness around her, flirtatiousand seductive in a bizarre,
gothy teenage sort of way. They are bold in your face,
(34:51):
glamorized depictions of violence.
The images of her are not frightening in a traditional
sense. They are over the top dramatic,
as if she is simply playing to the camera.
Alyssa Bustamante was an attractive young woman, and she
expressed a sense of confidence and playfulness in her online
presence. In this regard, she does match
(35:13):
the narcissistic characteristic of psychopathy.
Now, these images have been given far too much attention in
the press. After her twisted attack and
grisly killing of a child, all of her past posts and writings
somehow became indicative of hersickness.
But was that just an after the fact perception?
(35:34):
If she had never committed this horrific crime and bragged about
it in her diary, would these images and videos ever have been
at the forefront, used to prove how depraved and weird and dark
and evil the young woman was? I think it's pretty safe to say
that there are countless teenagers in particular of the
goth emor or alternate lifestyleor look that portray themselves
(35:58):
in bizarre, even creepy and darksinister ways.
That is not an indication or evidence that they are violent
or have the tendency to commit homicide.
In my opinion, it is not the dark imagery or words that make
Alyssa Bustamante terrifying. Rather, it is when she looks and
(36:18):
behaves like a normal teenage girl that she is the most
disturbing. That is why I selected the photo
I did of her for the cover. It is much scarier to see her
smiling the picture of a cute 15year old small town girl who was
plotting to murder a neighborhood child.
(36:41):
Alyssa Bustamante's psychopathy truly shines through during her
interrogation video. It is truly astonishing and
almost surreal how this 15 year old girl smirks, jokes and rocks
easily back in the chair while talking to a homicide detective
about a missing girl. She shows not a care or worry in
(37:04):
the world, there's no anxiety ordepression or display.
Knowing that she committed this horrific murder of a child and
exhibits no concern at all of being discovered reveals her
inner psychopath. One of the trademarks of
psychopathy is manipulation in chronic lying and how they
(37:26):
believe they are smarter than everyone else in the room.
Alyssa Bustamante goes from denying knowing anything about
Elizabeth's disappearance to attempting to sell a story about
her accidentally killing the little girl.
It is only when she is faced with the evidence they have on
her that she cracks and breaks down into any sign of genuine
(37:53):
emotion. About the emotion is not for
Elizabeth, it is for herself. After the confession, Detective
Rice leaves the room briefly. Alyssa Bustamante turns to the
juvenile officer Toby Meyer withauthentic terror and trepidation
in her face and voice and ass. What are they going to do?
(38:16):
To me? It is difficult not to feel some
ounce of compassion for this teenage girl who is now
petrified. But her concern is not for
Elizabeth and her family. This outburst of emotions
revolved around what was going to happen to her now that the
hideous truth of her crime wasn't covered.
(38:41):
Now, whether or not her apology to the family during her
sentencing hearing was sincere or not, only Alyssa knows, but
I'm sure that it was brought on by the advisement of her
attorney. Expressing guilt and remorse
over 1's violent actions can only benefit the outcome, not
harm it. Yet it didn't seem to make any
difference in the sentence she was given, nor in the parole
(39:04):
board denying her conditional release.
In previous episodes, I have discussed the matter of the
juvenile waiver. For those of you new to the
podcast or who need a refresher on the subject, it's a legal
procedure for a juvenile to be tried as an adult instead of a
minor. There are several different ways
this can't be done. First, there are discretionary
(39:25):
waivers where a judge solely decides whether a juvenile will
be charged as an adult. This requires an official
hearing in which evidence is presented from both the
prosecutor and the Juveniles Defense Council.
The judge then determines the offender's potential for
rehabilitation based on various factors of the case, including
any prior delinquent behavior. Secondly, there are mandatory or
(39:47):
statutory ravers, which are lawsthat are established by a state
that mandate A juvenile be charged as an adult for specific
felony offenses. These traditionally include more
serious violent crimes like homicide and rape, but in
certain states they can encompass even nonviolent crimes
like drug trafficking. The third type of juvenile
(40:08):
waiver is known as a prosecutorial waiver.
These differ from judicial sincethey don't require an official
hearing to present the factors of the case under consideration.
Instead, these waivers are solely up to the prosecutor's
judgment, which gives them the power to directly file a case
against a juvenile and adult court.
(40:29):
This last transfer or waiver process is highly controversial
and is at the forefront of much discussion regarding the
fairness of how these laws are implemented, specifically
surrounding issues of racial disparity.
Scholars and critics also point out how the likelihood of
recidivism among juveniles prosecuted as adults
(40:49):
significantly increases once a minor is handled as an adult in
the system. It removes a minor from the
jurisdiction of a juvenile courtsystem and allows a state
prosecutor to charge an individual under the age of 18
as an adult. The age at which a child can be
transferred to Criminal Court, also referred to as adult court,
(41:10):
varies widely from state to state.
Many states have legislation that sets the age at 14, but
others allow the transfer for children as young as 10 for more
serious offenses. For example, in California this
age is strictly set at 16, whereas in Arizona there is no
minimum age. In Missouri, where this crime
(41:32):
took place, the minimum age is 12 years old.
This means that if a 12 year oldcommits any felony, the court
can petition to relinquish the rights of the juvenile court.
It is required that a hearing beset in order to properly and
thoroughly determine whether thechild should be handled by the
juvenile system or they should be tried in Criminal Court as an
(41:54):
adult. Before any official hearing, a
written report must be prepared for consideration to transfer.
This includes everything from a child's history, delinquent
record, the offense, any prospect for rehabilitation,
amongst other factors. If the court determines that the
child cannot be properly handledin the juvenile system is
(42:14):
decided in the case of Alisa Bustamante, the child will then
be transferred to adult court. Once a minor is transferred to
Criminal Court, they are foreverseen and therefore treated as an
adult. In other words, if they are
tried as an adult once, then they will always be handled as
an adult. The only exception to this rule
(42:36):
is if the juvenile is found not guilty, then the child will
revert back to the juvenile system if and when they have
committed a future offence. Research has shown that only
harm can come to a juvenile house in an adult.
Jail or prison, Not only are these facilities not designed to
hold kids, but there is nothing positive for juveniles to gain
(43:01):
from their growing up behind bars.
Youth need and require certain types of services and programs
that they cannot receive in adult confinement.
Jails and prisons are not set upto provide juvenile offenders
with sufficient education. Their services and programs
don't address their health and medical needs, nor can they
(43:21):
fulfill their specific requirements for potential
rehabilitation. Everything from classification
tools to facilities and programsare inappropriate for treating
youth because it does not address their unique stages of
development. It is impossible to deny that
adolescence is a formative stagefor human beings, and each stage
(43:43):
of growing up brings with it a unique set of challenges,
vulnerabilities, and needs that differ greatly from those of
adulthood. Juveniles in institutions for
adult incarceration suffer greatly from being thrown in
with adults. They are exposed to career
criminals and violent offenders,including predators.
The research shows that kids inside prison walls are more
(44:06):
likely to commit crimes, in particular more serious
offenses, once they are released.
They are also the most likely tobecome victims of physical and
sexual assault. There is no data on the
percentage of girls assaulted inadult facilities, but the rate
inside state and local juvenile facilities is disproportionately
(44:30):
high. Girls comprise approximately 15%
of youth within juvenile facilities, yet one study
revealed that they represented 26% of all cases of abuse.
Even more alarming was a study that showed 51% of the cases of
abuse that were perpetuated by staff members were committed
(44:51):
against girls. Given that the majority of
female offenders, both youth andadult, are victims of physical
and or sexual abuse and trauma, these girls and young women face
a disproportionately high risk of being re victimized once they
are placed in the adult system. Statistics on this particular
(45:12):
group of offenders also shows that due to their past history
of abuse and trauma, they have asignificantly high rate of
emotional instability and mentalhealth disorders.
Youth in adult jails and prisonsare also more vulnerable to self
harm and suicidal ideation. Offenders under the age of 18
are much more likely to kill themselves while in adult jail.
(45:35):
With a rate of twice that of adults, it doesn't take an
extensive period of incarceration either to break
them mentally. In fact, 48% of these suicides
occur within the first week. Juveniles are also frequently
isolated from adults in jail, which only lends to escalating
(45:56):
their mental and emotional instability, increasing their
risk of suicide. Now, it's important to realize
that the vast majority of youth are not being transferred to
adult Criminal Court from its peak seen in the mid 1990s when
the development of such juvenilewaivers increased in number and
harshness. With most juveniles being
(46:17):
transferred for nonviolent drug offenses, that percentage of
teenagers or minors being waivedhas declined by over 700%.
The data, however, varies greatly depending on the year
and can fluctuate wildly depending on the state where the
juvenile resides. It is estimated that between
(46:38):
200,000 and 250,000 youth under the age of 18 are transferred to
Criminal Court every year. Male youth offenders were eight
times more likely to be waived to Criminal Court than female
youth were between 2017 and 2024.
There was much progress made in the areas of what were known as
(46:58):
Raise the Age laws, which soughtto minimize the number and age
in which the criminal courts could handle juveniles.
For example, both North Carolinaand Louisiana had legislation
which prevented a juvenile 16 years or younger from being
considered an adult, but these laws have recently been reversed
as a result. This makes it even easier, and
(47:20):
has become more rampant for juveniles to be waived.
There are roughly 4600 juvenilesbeing held in adult jail on any
given night in the United States.
Rehabilitation, Redemption. These two words which once
defined the purpose and structural of the penal system
(47:41):
in the United States and still do in many countries now, they
feel almost surreal they are so detached from our current crime
control model. Our present day penal system is
centered around punishment and does little to help inmates
develop and progress as human beings whether they are ever
(48:03):
eligible for parole or not. Should we be treating 12 year
olds as adults, even in the mosthorrible and violent of cases?
Should we as a society be prosecuting a child as an adult?
These questions are not answeredeasily in the case of Alyssa
Bustamante. She was only a few years older
(48:26):
than the minimum age in Missouriwhen she was sentenced to life
in prison for committing the most heinous crime imaginable.
She brutally and viciously murdered a child when she was
still a child herself. A disturbed, emotionally
enraged, abused child. Does killing an innocent child
(48:49):
mean that Alyssa Bustamante is incapable of being rehabilitated
and therefore redeemable? It is not an easy question to
answer from someone who has a degree in criminal justice.
I tend to think in general we over penalize offenders in this
country, including violent offenders.
(49:13):
Our country has one of the highest rates of incarcerations
in the world, period. No data shows anything positive
about the current model employed.
On the contrary, offenders who are incarcerated only become
worse in our prisons, not better.
It is often been said that even if someone is innocent of their
(49:37):
crime, once they are imprisoned in our country, they will learn
fast to become a criminal. We do little to nothing to
identify and help heal the issues that lead offenders to be
triggered in committing crimes. They are too often raped and
abused by their fellow inmates and by prison guards.
(49:59):
Our mental health care system inside and outside of prison is
a joke, as evidenced by Alyssa Bustamante's treatment before
the murder. We set up our convicts to fail
and return to the system insteadof preparing them for a life
outside of it, no matter the severe degree of depravity.
What does it say as a culture that we penalize kids to this
(50:21):
extent? I understand we can't and
shouldn't slap them on the wrist, so to speak, and send
them to counselling for killing someone or committing any kind
of violent offense. There are seriously dangerous
and depraved children out there.Alyssa Bustamante proved to the
world that she was a serious threat to others when she
(50:43):
savagely murdered Elizabeth Holton.
The vile words she expressed afterwards cast doubt on the
concept that juveniles don't fully grasp the consequences of
their actions based on their ageand lack of cognitive
development. Alyssa Bustamante fully
understood that strangling, stabbing and slitting a girl's
(51:06):
throat and dumping her into a grave would end in her death.
That was the entire purpose of her digging a grave, selecting A
victim and carrying out the crime.
She also demonstrated full awareness and intelligence and
how she plotted out the crime and manipulated and used her
(51:28):
younger sister to be her unknownaccomplice.
There is no denying that every element of the crime was
calculated and done with the sole intention of causing
another's death. So how do we justify not keeping
a twisted child killer like her locked away for life?
How, as a society, do we take the chance of releasing her
(51:50):
after 30 years, knowing that shemay well have been fantasizing
about her next kill once she is free?
Maybe I am completely wrong and time, in particular prison time,
has set her on a different, sincere path.
But psychopathy doesn't just go away.
It's like the inner lining of her mind.
(52:11):
She can conceal it from others, pretend it was just her
tormented upbringing and that asa full grown woman, after having
served her time, she is no longer a threat to society.
I am not a mother, at least not of any human children.
I can't begin to comprehend the dark, endless well of emotions
(52:34):
that Elizabeth Olton's mother was forced to endure after
losing her precious baby girl especially.
In such a horrifically violent manner and even worse by a
neighborhood teenage girl. If I were her, I would wish only
hell upon Alyssa Bustamante's every breathing moment and do
(52:57):
everything in my power to ensureshe is never freed.
But again, this doesn't answer any question about how to handle
children, including teenagers, in the justice system.
It only invites more How young is too young to be labeled an
(53:18):
evil monster and be locked away for life?
What age is appropriate to destroy the rest of a child's
life when they commit the most atrocious of crimes?
The only answer I do have is that each case must be handled
on its own unique circumstances.Everything about the crime, the
(53:39):
offender, the victim, any attempt to conceal it, the
aftermath of being caught, the emotions or lack of shown by the
juvenile, all elements must be carefully measured and looked at
by different kinds of specialists and judges to
thoughtfully and carefully determine how a child offender's
crime and life should be handled.
(54:01):
The justice system and its players hold incredible power
over the direction of an offender's life, no matter their
age. The worst thing and the most
irresponsible thing they can do is not take under careful
consideration how their decisions will make a lifetime
impact on the child offender andtheir future.
(54:25):
The other side stems from the other part of my degree, which
is criminology. The calculated cold and sinister
plan Alyssa Bustamante set in motion almost a week before
fulfilling her fantasy, the repugnant words she spilled into
her diary after the murder. Her diary was her trophy of the
(54:47):
crime. If she hadn't felt the need to
write down how amazing it was tokill someone, I highly doubt she
would have ever been caught on some levels.
The most unsettling aspect of her as an offender can be
visibly seen and heard within the interrogation video.
She strikes off almost every boxof psychopathy at only 15 years
(55:13):
old. A lack of effect, No empathy,
Pathological line, Arrogant, manipulative.
Among the other well recorded traits, children can't be
diagnosed with psychopathy sincethey have not reached full
cognitive development. From what we know of the
disorder, at least from what researchers have gauged based on
(55:33):
other criminal psychopaths, something in a child's life
helped to trigger the disorder. I have read some speculation
about her having suffered sexualabuse.
I have also read claims that shekilled animals.
Unless these come from the case or from her words, which neither
of them have, I don't choose to presume either way.
(55:55):
She mentioned burying dead animals, but she never said she
killed them. I think some people out there
want to paint her as this blossoming serial killer because
to them that would make her evenmore captivating.
What is known is that Alyssa Bustamante grew up in an.
Emotionally turbulent, unstable and violent household in her
(56:17):
most formative years. I have often heard others say
that doesn't explain or justify what she did.
Of course not. Nothing ever could.
But it is critical to understandfrom the perspective of
criminology that not everyone has or has learned healthy
coping skills. Alyssa Bustamante was hit with
one trauma after another from before.
(56:40):
She was even. Born.
Her resentment, rage, and depression, combined with her
genetic propensity for violence and her emotional imbalance
caused her to boil over. She embraced darkness, violence,
and became obsessed with death. As she got older, something made
(57:02):
her completely detach from her emotional connection to others.
Alyssa Bustamante was a budding psychopath and no one noticed
its formation until she had madeher first kill.
Does that mean she is still a psychopath?
Or is a psychopath even possibleof changing?
(57:22):
Do they have the ability to change or progress without the
most extensive of therapy? Most research indicates that
they can't. They are resistant to change.
And don't progress in therapy much, if at all.
Could a child with psychopathy be different from an adult with
the disorder? Is there a chance that once
(57:44):
their brains are fully developed, they could be
altered? It's impossible to know,
especially given that juveniles can't be officially diagnosed.
From what I have found about herlife in prison, Alyssa
Bustamante is a model prisoner. Her grandparents and even some
of her siblings, including Emma,visit her.
(58:05):
I came across an interesting article that referenced Alyssa
Bustamante in relation to a woman who had spiraled downward
after becoming addicted to meth.A military wife whose life,
marriage and family completely unravelled when she became a
drug addict and was sent to prison.
She met Alyssa Bustamante and even though she was at first
(58:26):
freaked out to meet the most infamous convict at Chillicothe
Women's Prison, this woman saw something else in her.
The two women fell in love and consider each other wives.
This woman has since been released but still visits Alyssa
often. While performing research for
(58:47):
this case, I noticed how there are quite a few Alyssa fans
supporters out there. I wouldn't be bothered by this
fact. If they wanted her to be free
for the right reasons. Advocating for her parole based
on the premise of juvenile justice and that she was a child
when she committed the crime andthey believe she should be given
another chance would be one thing.
(59:10):
If they believe she should be released because she has
expressed genuine remorse and has taken major steps to prove
that her life is worth saving, then maybe I could get behind
it. But they are more fans than
supporters. People who comment on her hot
looks, people who express awe atwhat she did.
(59:34):
These individuals are disgustingand as disturbing as the words
she left behind in her diary. It's not at all surprising
though, given how many men and women have become obsessed and
even get romantically involved with the most depraved and
violent of criminals. I believe as she has proven to
be a real danger to herself and others and is capable and would
(59:57):
likely reoffend if given the opportunity.
I have little doubt that if Alyssa Bustamante had not been
caught at 15 years old, there would be a row of graves filled
with the neighborhood kids of Saint Martin, Missouri.
(01:00:20):
Thank you so much for listening to Part 2 of 2 Graves and A
Diary of Female The Real Color. I would love to hear what you
have thought about these two episodes.
I know I went into a lot of tangents this time, but I became
very compelled and invested in this case and looking at it
(01:00:42):
through different lenses. If you have any questions,
comments, or ideas for future episodes, I would love to hear
from you. Please reach out my contact
information you can find in the episode description.
Until next time, stay safe and watch out for shake and murder
(01:01:05):
happening on the streets next over, especially inside your own
home. Shades of Murder is created,
researched, written and edited by Alina Caldwell.
Original music stranger composedby Stereo Code.
Hello and welcome to Shades of Murder.
I am your host Alita Caldwell. In this podcast, I discuss cases
of murder from around the world and throughout history,
attempting to unravel the layersof darkness that help make
humans and to monsters. Please be forewarned that each
(00:29):
episode contains specific and attimes very graphic and
disturbing details of the case. This show is not intended for
all audiences and listener discretion is strongly advised.
(01:25):
In the last episode, I discussedthe horrifying and tragic murder
of nine year old Elizabeth Oltonand her unexpected killer, 15
year old Alyssa Bustamante. This is the second piece of the
shocking true story of a child murderer who by all accounts,
was a child herself when she committed this heinous, vicious
(01:46):
crime. It would be so easy, even lazy,
to call Alyssa Bustamante an evil monster and end the
discussion and her story there. This is what most people,
including fellow true crime podcasters, do when discussing
her and this horrible, tragic case.
However, the reason I wanted to cover her case and I chose to
(02:08):
extend it to two episodes is that she is a compelling
offender to me for multiple reasons.
Please be aware that I am not a psychiatrist nor am IA licensed
therapist. However, I do have a degree in
criminology and hopefully it hasbeen demonstrated to you, my
dear listeners, by now that I conduct extensive research for
(02:29):
every episode. I think it's critical that as a
society we attempt to comprehendhow and why an individual,
especially a child or youth, cancommit inherently evil acts.
It is easy to label persons who murder as monstrosities whom we
can't possibly relate to on any level.
(02:52):
When we do this, we dissociate ourselves from them and their
crimes. In this goal to separate them
from us, we have created an almost mythological aura around
serial killers and other similardepraved violent offenders.
I think in some ways it's easierto deal with the darkness that
exists within others if we placethem into compartment of evil,
(03:14):
rather than acknowledge that most of them are shattered
individuals who weren't capable of processing and handling the
trauma and abuse they were dealtwith in life in any normal or
healthy manner. The criminal profile and story
of Alyssa Bustamante is important to know and discuss,
not because of her shocking and vile crimes, but because of how
(03:35):
much of an anomaly this young woman truly is.
First of all, her youth and gender made her highly unlikely
to commit such a heinous, premeditated crime.
By making her sister Emma an accomplice and leaving behind a
trail of evidence for law enforcement to find, Alyssa
Bustamanti exhibited arrogance, sloppiness, and a lack of
(03:56):
organization. This was likely a reflection of
her youth, in particular her impulsiveness, recklessness, and
poor judgment, all well known characteristics of a developing
typical teenager's brain. If it weren't for these crucial
mistakes, Alyssa Bustamante may never have been caught.
Secondly, although some signs point to her being a psychopath,
(04:19):
other factors and traits don't. Don't get me wrong, Alyssa
Bustamante deserves to be in prison for the rest of her life.
Despite her age at the time of the offense, she will most
likely continue to be denied parole based on the evidence of
premeditation, the degree of brutality of the crime, and the
victim having been an innocent and helpless child.
(04:41):
However, it is critical to discuss her from a
criminological view and analyze the various aspects of her life
and behavior which culminated inthis tragedy.
Alyssa Bustamante was described as being a very bright and
clever girl in a sneaky kind of way, but who openly struggled.
With her depression. She had never been in trouble at
school or involved in any sort of juvenile delinquency outside
(05:04):
of a few incidents of not being where she said she would be.
There was an occasion where she snuck off to a music concert in
Saint Louis and she spent the night out in the woods a few
times without her grandparents knowing.
However, she had never had any encounter with the justice
system before being arrested forfirst degree murder.
Her grades were above average and at the time of the offense,
(05:26):
she was in the top third of her class.
Alisa Bustamante did not fit anykind of violent offender
profile, especially for a girl. It is a criminal fact that males
commit far more homicides than females.
Official crime data from 2023 revealed that of the 21,504
(05:49):
known homicide offenders, 14,327were male compared to only 1898
females. Interestingly, there were an
additional 5279 perpetrators of homicide whose gender was
unidentified or unknown. This equates to approximately
.88% of all murders being committed by females.
(06:14):
This is an extremely low percentage of homicides being
committed by women and girls, which is why when females commit
murder, it is still perceived asa shocking and very rare
incident. Women and girls who commit
murder overwhelmingly do so for the means of utility, usually
for the gain of money. Studies on female offenders
(06:36):
revealed that they also killed primarily for means of survival.
It could be to survive violent abuse from an intimate partner
in a moment of self-defense or their desire to end prolonged
abuse. And sometimes it's just to
survive the streets. Girls who kill share very
similar traits and characteristics to women in
(06:56):
terms of their motivations, and even fewer studies have been
conducted on them. This is very unfortunate and
irresponsible, since murders committed by girls and younger
women appeared to have become increasingly more common in
recent decades. Other.
Females kill in what are described as crimes of passion.
These incidents involve either their lover, boyfriend,
(07:16):
girlfriend who has rejected or betrayed them, or their love
rival, and sometimes both. An example of this kind of
killer would be Tennessee Death Rose Krista Pike, who brutally
slayed a young woman in 1995 whom she believed was after her
boyfriend. For some female offenders, the
motivation can stem from a darker, more psychopathic plays.
(07:38):
Sometimes it can arise from a desire for power, control and
domination. It may derive from the desperate
need for her attention or even abizarre sense of mission driven
killing. Women and girls tend to murder
those closest to them. They prey on the weak and the
vulnerable, in particular when the motivation is financial.
(07:58):
Female juvenile murders are by far the rarest of violent
offenders. Most of these killings involve
crimes of passion, as aforementioned, where envy and
jealousy of another female are the primary motive, and they
often involve more than one offender.
This kind of murder can be seen in the horrific attack of 12
(08:18):
year old Shonda Shearer in Indiana by a group of girls led
by the jealous 16 year old Melinda Loveless.
In the case where the victims are family members, they tend to
revolve around a forbidden love interest.
Typically, these events involve a younger female who becomes
obsessed with a much older male suitor whom the parents attempt
(08:40):
to keep apart. This can lead to further
obsession and eventually a plan to eliminate those who are
interfering in the relationship.In the twisted perception of the
lovestruck teen, the only way tobe with a man they love is to
kill their parents and sometimeseven their siblings.
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This kind of family killing was demonstrated in the case of 16
year old Aaron Caffey from Texasin 2008.
All three of these examples havebecome quite notorious in the
world of true crime because theywere so disturbing, brutal and
most of all, extremely rare. Another more well known scenario
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involves a young female. At the behest of the older male
partner, he becomes involved in killing and sometimes even the
torture of another individual ormultiple persons.
This has been demonstrated through various killer duas
throughout history, in particular serial killer
couples. Whether the female is a willing
and active participant or a compliant accomplice, they
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traditionally commit the crimes to please their MO partner or to
prevent him from causing them harm.
Or at least that is what most ofthese family offenders claim to
be their motivation. Such an infamous case is
illustrated through Canada's Carla Harmonka.
What is almost unheard of, and the most shocking to hear, is
(10:06):
when a young woman kills someoneof her own accord, her own free
will, her own premeditated, vileplan to take another's life for
pleasure. Alyssa Bustamante did not fit
into the typical profile of a delinquent teen, much less a
cold blooded, sadistic murderer.And yet there were many, many
(10:30):
alarming signs of pending violence, up to and including
her potential for homicide. Born to a drug addicted teen
mother and abusive father, Alyssa Bustamante was exposed to
domestic violence, her mother's sexual activity with multiple
men inside the home, and substance abuse.
Her mother had a criminal recordwhich included mainly petty
(10:51):
crimes like drug possession and a DUI.
Her father was sentenced to 10 years for felony assault and had
not been in her life since she was a very young child, except
for the occasional letter from prison.
Alyssa and her three younger siblings were faced with a life
of continuous hardship. Her mother had run away from
their home, abandoning her four small kids on multiple
(11:13):
occasions. This was all before Alyssa had
turned 7. It was during this time that her
grandparents felt they had no other choice but to intervene
and help. They didn't want the children
split up into foster care and sothey took it upon themselves to
care for them all. Since her mother was neglectful
and randomly disappeared on themand her father was in prison,
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her grandparents were granted guardianship over all four young
kids, Alyssa being the eldest. One particular time when her
mother took off, it had dire consequences.
On Labor Day weekend, 2713 year old Alyssa Bustamante was found
unconscious. She had been discovered
collapsed in the shower by her grandmother after swallowing a
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large bottle of Tylenol. Her arms had hundreds of tiny
cuts on them made by a razor blade.
The girl had carved the word hate into one of them.
She survived the suicide attemptand was sent to a healthcare
facility for evaluation and treatment.
There, Alyssa Bustamante was given a prescription for Prozac,
a common antidepressant, and it seemed to do its job for a
(12:19):
while. Alyssa's grandparents were very
religious, and although they made sure that she and her
siblings were well taken care of, I don't know how their
relationships were. Were they affectionate and open
with her? Did they discuss the trauma and
abuse she had experienced as a child and how she was suffering
emotionally and psychologically as a result?
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Alyssa regularly attended their Mormon church and did so right
after brutally slain a child, asrecorded in her diary.
It was clear that religion didn't seem to make any impact
on her moral compass. If anything, she mocked it.
I wonder if her grandparents thought that if she read the
Bible and went to church enough,it would miraculously fix her
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issues and save her from the looming darkness.
There were many signs that Alyssa Bustamante was spiraling
down a dark path which were essentially ignored by those in
her life and in the very least, were not taken seriously enough.
Everything Alyssa Bustamante portrayed on social media, the
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words and pictures that decorated her bedroom walls and
especially those inside her journal, was strong evidence of
a young girl who was obsessed with death and violence and
wanted to die. Earlier in the year, at her 15th
birthday party, Alyssa Bustamante made a shocking and
disturbing statement to her oncebest friend, Jennifer Meyer.
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According to Jennifer, out of nowhere, Alyssa pulled her aside
and said to her, and I quote, I just wonder what it would be
like just to kill someone, see the life just drain out of
someone. I wonder what it would feel like
that type of power to take that away from someone.
Jennifer just thought at the time she was being weird and
dark and did take her words seriously.
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A week before she murdered 9 year old Elizabeth Olton,
Alyssa's cell phone charger was dead.
One night she was all alone in her room and she couldn't talk
to anyone about the depression and pain she was drowning in.
She wrote in her diary in a quote.
If I don't talk about it, I bottle it up, and when I
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explode, someone's going to die.On Twitter, she wrote that there
must be some reason for all thispain.
All of these expressions of her rage, sadness, and darkness were
in full display for not only those closest in her circle to
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see and hear, but for the entireworld if they had listened.
She did not hide her sickness, but rather she played it up,
almost reveling in it, crafting a dark, dramatic, and alluring
image of herself. This resulted in a harrowing
persona of how she wanted to present herself and what she
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wanted to project into society. Alisa Bustamante has been
described as a thrill killer in large part because the main
detective stated that the reasonshe murdered Elizabeth Olton was
because she wanted to know how it felt to kill.
As I pointed out in the first episode of this case, these
exact words were never spoken bythe offender to law enforcement.
(15:33):
However, since she did express this specific desire to kill to
one of her close friends, it is impossible to deny that her main
motivation was to experience thepower and pleasure of taking a
life. This kind of offender is the
rarest of them all. They defy all understanding and
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possible explanation as to what triggers this kind of thrill
killing behaviour, especially ina young woman.
So what exactly defines the actions and profile of a thrill
killer? Thrill killing, a type of murder
committed for the reasons as defined by its name, for the
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thrill of taking a life, sounds pretty straightforward as to the
primary motivation behind such an offender's purpose for
killing. However, what makes an
individual into a thrill killer is seemingly much more complex.
For the majority of society, we struggle to comprehend, much
less understand, such an act andthe type of person who commits
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it. Thrill killers are a typology
that was developed to understanddifferent types of serial
killing, specifically those committed by males.
This type of murderer kills to obtain gratification and
pleasure through the act of killing.
Thrill killers are driven by theACT alone.
They are excited and energized by the pain and terror they can
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inflict on their victim. Traditionally, they are not
interested in the body post mortem.
Unlike other sadistic killers, they don't mutilate or play with
a corpse. They rarely commit any sexual
acts during, much less after thekill.
Psychologists have observed thattheir thrill from killing is
intertwined with the power and control they exert over their
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victims. People who kill For these
reasons very often are associated with severe childhood
trauma, specifically abuse. They suffer from feelings of
unworthiness and have a great desire for power and control.
This trauma has been noted to desensitize some individuals
toward pain and violence, leading them to lack empathy and
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have minimal attachment to others.
Women who kill for the thrill, who are stimulated by the act of
murder and torture, are extremely uncommon.
They are pretty much nonexistent.
There are very few known female thrill killers, or at least
those who have been properly identified.
Multiple murderer Joanna Dennehyof the United Kingdom has been
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deemed by some to be a thrill killer.
Jane Taupin, the 19th century serial killer nurse of Boston,
who might have covered in a previous episode, openly
expressed how she murdered for pleasure.
Even the infamous Aileen Warnos has been described as a
thriller, although I personally don't agree with this label to
define her motivations. Needless to say, most women who
(18:28):
have been described under this motivation have almost always
been part of a murdering duo, usually headed by a male.
The motivations of Alyssa Bustamantes were undoubtedly
sadistic and pleasure driven. Based on her journal entry,
after she murdered 9 year old Elizabeth Olton, Alyssa
Bustamantes suffered severe trauma, abuse, and neglect
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before she was even born. The teenager struggled with her
inner demons and battled againstdepression and feelings of
worthlessness. She did not feel of any value
and she lacked control over her life.
All of these. Characteristics to find what is
known about throw killers in theact of luring in or stalking
their victim, taking them by surprise, inflicting brutality
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upon the individual, and causingthe person terror and pain.
They regain their sense of power, strength, and control.
The pain and suffering that define their very existence is
now erased, at least temporarily, by causing pain and
suffering to another and having the power to end their life.
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Upon close analysis though, I tend to think her motivations
were much more complicated than simply killing for the thrill.
Alisa Bustamante was an extremely disturbed teenage girl
who was fascinated with death and violence, and the concept of
killing herself was projected onto her victim.
I think to some extent she was trying to get rid of herself
hatred by victimizing the most innocent.
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Everyone has labeled this girl an evil monster.
Were her actions those of 1? Undoubtedly yes, and there were
clear signs of her being psychotic.
But is she evil? Is she a psychopath, or is she a
tragic result of her upbringing?Perhaps a little bit of both.
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Psychopathy is a mental disorderthat is manifested from a
culmination of factors believed to be likely caused by genetic
factors which helped to mold andinfluence cognitive development
and personality traits. It is also a reaction to social
and environmental elements. Psychopathy as a clinical
construct is defined by a pattern of interpersonal,
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emotional, and behavioral traitsthan an individual exhibits.
Considered one of the most serious of the personality
disorders. The recovery rate of individuals
suffering from psychopathy is very low and the effects it can
have on a personal and social level are extensive.
The prevalence of psychopathy isthought to affect anywhere
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between .5 to 1% of individuals in society.
However, it is believed that as high as 20 to 25% of all
prisoners could be diagnosed with the disorder.
Research indicates that psychopaths are responsible for
more than half of all serious crimes committed.
Studies on psychopathy in men and women reveal that the
(21:27):
condition is very rare in females.
However, along with male prisoners, female prisoners
often exhibit signs of the disorder.
One study showed that as high as17% of female prisoners could be
diagnosed as psychopathic. This is in comparison to roughly
31% of male prisoners. Emotional traits of a psychopath
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include flat effect, lack of empathy, Morser guilt and
egocentricity. Alyssa Bustamante fully exhibits
these traits when she writes in her diary about how killing
Elizabeth Olton made her feel. There is 0 expression conveyed
about what a horrible thing it was to do.
Elizabeth Olton is not a child she murdered, but she merely
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becomes an object. That was used to fulfill her
homicidal desires. Interpersonal characteristics of
a psychopath show themselves in acts of arrogance,
impulsiveness, lack of responsibility, grandiose sense
of self, and manipulation. Elsa Bustamante's act of killing
was not impulsive since she planned to commit murder based
(22:35):
on her pre emptive digging of the graves, but her selection of
Elizabeth Olton does not appear to have been planned, at least
not on that particular day. During the interrogation video,
Alyssa Bustamante attempts to manipulate the detective and the
juvenile officer into believing her version of events on the day
she killed Elizabeth. She is bold, confident, even
(22:57):
arrogant, while she sits back inthe chair with ease, casually
painting a story she is trying to sell them.
The behavior of a psychopath hasbeen observed to show dismissal
of social norms and rules and display scary, violent and
irresponsible behavior. Alisa Bustamante portrayed
herself across social media as someone who rebelled against
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society's expectations, especially expectations of a
young female. She chose dramatic, often
violent imagery and expressions to depict her persona, whose
main purpose appeared to be for the attention it received.
The characteristics and traits of psychopathy vary from person
to person, but there are a few core features.
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These include an uncaring temperament, boldness, and
social dominance, in addition todisinhibited behavior.
An uncaring temperament is the social and emotional foundation
of being a psychopath. These kinds of individuals
exhibit no remorse, regret, or guilt over their actions.
They are liars, manipulators, and use people to get what they
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want. Secondly, they are known to be
risk takers. Their appearance and demeanor is
1 full of confidence, even arrogance, and they fail to
avoid behavior that in the past has already led to problems.
The third core trait is disinhibited behavior.
This involves actions and behavior that are spontaneous,
(24:24):
random, and often unplanned. These individuals fail to uphold
their promises or commitments, including work or school, or to
their personal life. There is a divide amongst
researchers on whether or not criminal behavior is a key
element of psychopathy or if it is a consequence.
As in most areas of criminology,the majority of studies
(24:44):
conducted on psychopathy have been focused on males.
However, the research performed on male psychopaths versus
females have revealed some interesting differences.
Research on psychopathy has beenconducted in two distinct ways.
One school of research has been focused on behavior, where the
other is centered around personality.
(25:05):
The behavioral approach is the one which the APA or the
American Psychiatric Associationemploys in its diagnostic
system, also known as the DSM 4,where psychopathy falls under
antisocial personality disorder.This diagnosis primarily
includes concepts of behavior with emotional traits associated
to them, but it is not a prerequisite to the diagnosis.
(25:28):
This category far exceeds the realm of psychopathy and would
encompass most criminals. The other school is based upon
personality and is represented in the World Health Organization
diagnosis of Dissocial Personality disorder under their
International Statistical Classification System.
Also known as the ICD, this disorder is characterized by
(25:49):
individuals who pose a sharp resistance to the expected
behavior and codes of conduct. They are indifferent toward
these rules and norms and lack empathy.
They fail to experience guilt asthe rest of us do, and they lack
the capacity to feel remorse. This kind of individual does not
respond to negative reinforcement of behavior, such
(26:10):
as punishment, which does not deter or change their bad
behavior. They also have a tendency to
blame others for their actions, and they are at constant
conflict with society. It is estimated that 1/3 of
people who would be diagnosed asantisocial meet the criteria for
psychopathy. The latter criteria, defined by
(26:32):
disocial personality disorder, leans toward a closer match to
the definition of psychopathy, although neither school
thoroughly covers the term. How is psychopathy even measured
and thus diagnosed, you may be wondering?
The most common and validated tool is the Hair Psychopathy
Checklist, which includes a checklist of 20 items to which a
(26:53):
patient is assigned a score of 0to 2 based on how close they
align to each trait. These include many of the well
known characteristics and behavior of a psychopath such as
lack of guilt, no empathy, superficiality, shallow affect,
grandosity, lying, parasitic lifestyle manipulation,
impulsiveness, and the adolescent crime, among others.
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Amongst researchers, the accepted threshold for
psychopathy is 30. The differences between genders
and psychopathy are noted as being significant in the ways
the disorder manifests itself. Researchers for Rosen and Cook
suggest that there are four points in the ways these
differences surface. These include behavior,
interpersonal characteristics, underlying psychological
(27:37):
mechanics, and different social norms.
Female psychopaths are often impulsive and characterized by
behavioral problems. They demonstrate this mainly by
running away, displaying signs of self-destructive and self
harming behavior, and various acts of manipulation.
Regarding behavior, Whereas men tend to run scams and commit
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crimes of fraud, female psychopaths tend to use their
feminine Wiles, so to speak, to manipulate others.
In other words, they flirt to get their way, or at least
attempt to. Their criminal behavior leans
towards committee acts of fraud and theft rather than violence.
Forms of aggression vary betweenmen and women who are
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psychopathic, with females beingaggressive verbally and within
their relationships and males being more physically
aggressive. These acts of aggression by
females can occur through manipulating others in their
social circle with the goal to ouster reject their targeted
victim. It also manifests itself in
threats of self harm. It has been observed how female
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psychopaths do not necessarily share the traits of
superficiality or grandosity like their male counterparts do.
It has been suggested that this may be due to differences in
culture and their upbringing. The underlying psychological
condition and its motivations also differ between men and
women and has also been discussed how social norms
(29:02):
affect the perception of psychopathic traits differently
between males and females. A study of female inmates
revealed that they are diagnosedwith emotionally unstable
personality disorder much more often than antisocial
personality disorder, which is amedical term for the presence of
two or more medical conditions existing in a patient, is
(29:25):
thought to possibly be a link with female psychopathy.
Few studies have been done in this area, but what does exist
suggests that both male and female psychopaths are suffering
from more than one medical condition.
In the case of Alyssa Bustamante, we can see her
depression, anxiety, ADD, borderline personality, in
(29:48):
addition to her antisocial or dyssocial personality disorder
are all strong evidence of her being inflicted with
comorbidity. This is an interesting concept
that warrants much more researchto possibly understand the
complexities of the brain and thus the personality and
(30:09):
behaviors of someone afflicted with more than one medical
condition. When psychopathy begins to merge
differs between the gingers as well.
Where males typically exhibit signs as early as childhood,
females initially show symptoms in adolescence.
Young women display relational forms of aggression, which are
(30:29):
brought on by jealousy, manipulation, self injury or
harming, and verbal aggression. At first glance, Alyssa
Bustamante doesn't fit the typical profile of a psychopath.
However, when you read about andconsider some of the distinct
differences between male and female psychopaths, the pattern
strongly align with her personality and behavior.
(30:53):
She. Was an abandoned, neglected
child whose grandparents seemed to love her and take care of
her, but they didn't really try to understand her.
Maybe this is simply a reflection of the large
generation gap? And or they're being highly
religious. There were so many signs, both
physical and psychological that were screaming for serious
(31:16):
intervention. Placing someone on Prozac is not
sufficient enough treatment for someone suffering from this
degree of mental illness and suicidal ideation.
I don't blame her grandparents at all, but the healthcare
facility and the therapist really failed when they let this
(31:36):
girl's psychosis slipped throughthe cracks.
During her stay at the hospital,she allegedly conveyed to one of
the counsellors that she wanted to kill someone and she had set
her eyes upon Elizabeth Olton. Elizabeth Olton was everything
Alyssa Bustamante was not. She was a girly girl who had a
(32:01):
loving home with a mother and siblings who adored her.
She was from a normal and healthy functioning family.
Elizabeth Olton was full of light, hope and purity and
Alyssa Bustamante's twisted and depraved mind which was over
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running with thoughts of self hatred and darkness.
She sought to destroy something beautiful, somewhat entirely
innocent. There has been much speculation
as to who her initial intended victims were.
Since Alyssa Bustamante had dug 2 graves, some believe that the
graves were dug for her twin brothers.
(32:44):
This theory surfaced mainly due to how Alyssa expressed A
sadistic pleasure at seeing themelectrically themselves in the
previously mentioned YouTube video.
However, I don't think that reaction was intended to mean
she actually wanted her little brothers hurt, much less dead.
I mean, how many millions upon millions of YouTube and TikTok
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videos demonstrate teens and preteens making light of
themselves and or their friends getting harmed or hurt in some
capacity by acting out in reckless, idiotic ways?
They intentionally create videosfor that primary purpose.
Now the other individual some people believe Alyssa initially
(33:27):
set out to murder was her littlesister Emma.
This theory is mainly based uponthe crude, violent depiction of
her little sister in the drawingfound in her bedroom.
But we don't know the context around the sketch, and by all
accounts, Emma was not afraid ofher big sister.
From what we do know of how Alyssa treated her younger
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siblings, at least according to her grandmother, she cared for
them as if she was their parent and she did not abuse them or
cause them any intentional harm.That Alyssa Bustamante primarily
placed harm upon herself. Is what makes her distinct from
many other psychopaths. But after reading the research,
(34:09):
self injury or self harming in female psychopaths appears to be
pretty common. A typical psychopath is defined
by their highly narcissistic personality, their grandiose
sense of self. Someone who cussed themselves
all over and has attempted to kill themselves does not seem to
fall within this trait. However, when you look at her
(34:30):
social media presence, there is some indication of narcissism
there. There were signs of her desire
for attention, to craft an imageof herself, this alluring
darkness around her, flirtatiousand seductive in a bizarre,
gothy teenage sort of way. They are bold in your face,
(34:51):
glamorized depictions of violence.
The images of her are not frightening in a traditional
sense. They are over the top dramatic,
as if she is simply playing to the camera.
Alyssa Bustamante was an attractive young woman, and she
expressed a sense of confidence and playfulness in her online
presence. In this regard, she does match
(35:13):
the narcissistic characteristic of psychopathy.
Now, these images have been given far too much attention in
the press. After her twisted attack and
grisly killing of a child, all of her past posts and writings
somehow became indicative of hersickness.
But was that just an after the fact perception?
(35:34):
If she had never committed this horrific crime and bragged about
it in her diary, would these images and videos ever have been
at the forefront, used to prove how depraved and weird and dark
and evil the young woman was? I think it's pretty safe to say
that there are countless teenagers in particular of the
goth emor or alternate lifestyleor look that portray themselves
(35:58):
in bizarre, even creepy and darksinister ways.
That is not an indication or evidence that they are violent
or have the tendency to commit homicide.
In my opinion, it is not the dark imagery or words that make
Alyssa Bustamante terrifying. Rather, it is when she looks and
(36:18):
behaves like a normal teenage girl that she is the most
disturbing. That is why I selected the photo
I did of her for the cover. It is much scarier to see her
smiling the picture of a cute 15year old small town girl who was
plotting to murder a neighborhood child.
(36:41):
Alyssa Bustamante's psychopathy truly shines through during her
interrogation video. It is truly astonishing and
almost surreal how this 15 year old girl smirks, jokes and rocks
easily back in the chair while talking to a homicide detective
about a missing girl. She shows not a care or worry in
(37:04):
the world, there's no anxiety ordepression or display.
Knowing that she committed this horrific murder of a child and
exhibits no concern at all of being discovered reveals her
inner psychopath. One of the trademarks of
psychopathy is manipulation in chronic lying and how they
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believe they are smarter than everyone else in the room.
Alyssa Bustamante goes from denying knowing anything about
Elizabeth's disappearance to attempting to sell a story about
her accidentally killing the little girl.
It is only when she is faced with the evidence they have on
her that she cracks and breaks down into any sign of genuine
(37:53):
emotion. About the emotion is not for
Elizabeth, it is for herself. After the confession, Detective
Rice leaves the room briefly. Alyssa Bustamante turns to the
juvenile officer Toby Meyer withauthentic terror and trepidation
in her face and voice and ass. What are they going to do?
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To me? It is difficult not to feel some
ounce of compassion for this teenage girl who is now
petrified. But her concern is not for
Elizabeth and her family. This outburst of emotions
revolved around what was going to happen to her now that the
hideous truth of her crime wasn't covered.
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Now, whether or not her apology to the family during her
sentencing hearing was sincere or not, only Alyssa knows, but
I'm sure that it was brought on by the advisement of her
attorney. Expressing guilt and remorse
over 1's violent actions can only benefit the outcome, not
harm it. Yet it didn't seem to make any
difference in the sentence she was given, nor in the parole
(39:04):
board denying her conditional release.
In previous episodes, I have discussed the matter of the
juvenile waiver. For those of you new to the
podcast or who need a refresher on the subject, it's a legal
procedure for a juvenile to be tried as an adult instead of a
minor. There are several different ways
this can't be done. First, there are discretionary
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waivers where a judge solely decides whether a juvenile will
be charged as an adult. This requires an official
hearing in which evidence is presented from both the
prosecutor and the Juveniles Defense Council.
The judge then determines the offender's potential for
rehabilitation based on various factors of the case, including
any prior delinquent behavior. Secondly, there are mandatory or
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statutory ravers, which are lawsthat are established by a state
that mandate A juvenile be charged as an adult for specific
felony offenses. These traditionally include more
serious violent crimes like homicide and rape, but in
certain states they can encompass even nonviolent crimes
like drug trafficking. The third type of juvenile
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waiver is known as a prosecutorial waiver.
These differ from judicial sincethey don't require an official
hearing to present the factors of the case under consideration.
Instead, these waivers are solely up to the prosecutor's
judgment, which gives them the power to directly file a case
against a juvenile and adult court.
(40:29):
This last transfer or waiver process is highly controversial
and is at the forefront of much discussion regarding the
fairness of how these laws are implemented, specifically
surrounding issues of racial disparity.
Scholars and critics also point out how the likelihood of
recidivism among juveniles prosecuted as adults
(40:49):
significantly increases once a minor is handled as an adult in
the system. It removes a minor from the
jurisdiction of a juvenile courtsystem and allows a state
prosecutor to charge an individual under the age of 18
as an adult. The age at which a child can be
transferred to Criminal Court, also referred to as adult court,
(41:10):
varies widely from state to state.
Many states have legislation that sets the age at 14, but
others allow the transfer for children as young as 10 for more
serious offenses. For example, in California this
age is strictly set at 16, whereas in Arizona there is no
minimum age. In Missouri, where this crime
(41:32):
took place, the minimum age is 12 years old.
This means that if a 12 year oldcommits any felony, the court
can petition to relinquish the rights of the juvenile court.
It is required that a hearing beset in order to properly and
thoroughly determine whether thechild should be handled by the
juvenile system or they should be tried in Criminal Court as an
(41:54):
adult. Before any official hearing, a
written report must be prepared for consideration to transfer.
This includes everything from a child's history, delinquent
record, the offense, any prospect for rehabilitation,
amongst other factors. If the court determines that the
child cannot be properly handledin the juvenile system is
(42:14):
decided in the case of Alisa Bustamante, the child will then
be transferred to adult court. Once a minor is transferred to
Criminal Court, they are foreverseen and therefore treated as an
adult. In other words, if they are
tried as an adult once, then they will always be handled as
an adult. The only exception to this rule
(42:36):
is if the juvenile is found not guilty, then the child will
revert back to the juvenile system if and when they have
committed a future offence. Research has shown that only
harm can come to a juvenile house in an adult.
Jail or prison, Not only are these facilities not designed to
hold kids, but there is nothing positive for juveniles to gain
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from their growing up behind bars.
Youth need and require certain types of services and programs
that they cannot receive in adult confinement.
Jails and prisons are not set upto provide juvenile offenders
with sufficient education. Their services and programs
don't address their health and medical needs, nor can they
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fulfill their specific requirements for potential
rehabilitation. Everything from classification
tools to facilities and programsare inappropriate for treating
youth because it does not address their unique stages of
development. It is impossible to deny that
adolescence is a formative stagefor human beings, and each stage
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of growing up brings with it a unique set of challenges,
vulnerabilities, and needs that differ greatly from those of
adulthood. Juveniles in institutions for
adult incarceration suffer greatly from being thrown in
with adults. They are exposed to career
criminals and violent offenders,including predators.
The research shows that kids inside prison walls are more
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likely to commit crimes, in particular more serious
offenses, once they are released.
They are also the most likely tobecome victims of physical and
sexual assault. There is no data on the
percentage of girls assaulted inadult facilities, but the rate
inside state and local juvenile facilities is disproportionately
(44:30):
high. Girls comprise approximately 15%
of youth within juvenile facilities, yet one study
revealed that they represented 26% of all cases of abuse.
Even more alarming was a study that showed 51% of the cases of
abuse that were perpetuated by staff members were committed
(44:51):
against girls. Given that the majority of
female offenders, both youth andadult, are victims of physical
and or sexual abuse and trauma, these girls and young women face
a disproportionately high risk of being re victimized once they
are placed in the adult system. Statistics on this particular
(45:12):
group of offenders also shows that due to their past history
of abuse and trauma, they have asignificantly high rate of
emotional instability and mentalhealth disorders.
Youth in adult jails and prisonsare also more vulnerable to self
harm and suicidal ideation. Offenders under the age of 18
are much more likely to kill themselves while in adult jail.
(45:35):
With a rate of twice that of adults, it doesn't take an
extensive period of incarceration either to break
them mentally. In fact, 48% of these suicides
occur within the first week. Juveniles are also frequently
isolated from adults in jail, which only lends to escalating
(45:56):
their mental and emotional instability, increasing their
risk of suicide. Now, it's important to realize
that the vast majority of youth are not being transferred to
adult Criminal Court from its peak seen in the mid 1990s when
the development of such juvenilewaivers increased in number and
harshness. With most juveniles being
(46:17):
transferred for nonviolent drug offenses, that percentage of
teenagers or minors being waivedhas declined by over 700%.
The data, however, varies greatly depending on the year
and can fluctuate wildly depending on the state where the
juvenile resides. It is estimated that between
(46:38):
200,000 and 250,000 youth under the age of 18 are transferred to
Criminal Court every year. Male youth offenders were eight
times more likely to be waived to Criminal Court than female
youth were between 2017 and 2024.
There was much progress made in the areas of what were known as
(46:58):
Raise the Age laws, which soughtto minimize the number and age
in which the criminal courts could handle juveniles.
For example, both North Carolinaand Louisiana had legislation
which prevented a juvenile 16 years or younger from being
considered an adult, but these laws have recently been reversed
as a result. This makes it even easier, and
(47:20):
has become more rampant for juveniles to be waived.
There are roughly 4600 juvenilesbeing held in adult jail on any
given night in the United States.
Rehabilitation, Redemption. These two words which once
defined the purpose and structural of the penal system
(47:41):
in the United States and still do in many countries now, they
feel almost surreal they are so detached from our current crime
control model. Our present day penal system is
centered around punishment and does little to help inmates
develop and progress as human beings whether they are ever
(48:03):
eligible for parole or not. Should we be treating 12 year
olds as adults, even in the mosthorrible and violent of cases?
Should we as a society be prosecuting a child as an adult?
These questions are not answeredeasily in the case of Alyssa
Bustamante. She was only a few years older
(48:26):
than the minimum age in Missouriwhen she was sentenced to life
in prison for committing the most heinous crime imaginable.
She brutally and viciously murdered a child when she was
still a child herself. A disturbed, emotionally
enraged, abused child. Does killing an innocent child
(48:49):
mean that Alyssa Bustamante is incapable of being rehabilitated
and therefore redeemable? It is not an easy question to
answer from someone who has a degree in criminal justice.
I tend to think in general we over penalize offenders in this
country, including violent offenders.
(49:13):
Our country has one of the highest rates of incarcerations
in the world, period. No data shows anything positive
about the current model employed.
On the contrary, offenders who are incarcerated only become
worse in our prisons, not better.
It is often been said that even if someone is innocent of their
(49:37):
crime, once they are imprisoned in our country, they will learn
fast to become a criminal. We do little to nothing to
identify and help heal the issues that lead offenders to be
triggered in committing crimes. They are too often raped and
abused by their fellow inmates and by prison guards.
(49:59):
Our mental health care system inside and outside of prison is
a joke, as evidenced by Alyssa Bustamante's treatment before
the murder. We set up our convicts to fail
and return to the system insteadof preparing them for a life
outside of it, no matter the severe degree of depravity.
What does it say as a culture that we penalize kids to this
(50:21):
extent? I understand we can't and
shouldn't slap them on the wrist, so to speak, and send
them to counselling for killing someone or committing any kind
of violent offense. There are seriously dangerous
and depraved children out there.Alyssa Bustamante proved to the
world that she was a serious threat to others when she
(50:43):
savagely murdered Elizabeth Holton.
The vile words she expressed afterwards cast doubt on the
concept that juveniles don't fully grasp the consequences of
their actions based on their ageand lack of cognitive
development. Alyssa Bustamante fully
understood that strangling, stabbing and slitting a girl's
(51:06):
throat and dumping her into a grave would end in her death.
That was the entire purpose of her digging a grave, selecting A
victim and carrying out the crime.
She also demonstrated full awareness and intelligence and
how she plotted out the crime and manipulated and used her
(51:28):
younger sister to be her unknownaccomplice.
There is no denying that every element of the crime was
calculated and done with the sole intention of causing
another's death. So how do we justify not keeping
a twisted child killer like her locked away for life?
How, as a society, do we take the chance of releasing her
(51:50):
after 30 years, knowing that shemay well have been fantasizing
about her next kill once she is free?
Maybe I am completely wrong and time, in particular prison time,
has set her on a different, sincere path.
But psychopathy doesn't just go away.
It's like the inner lining of her mind.
(52:11):
She can conceal it from others, pretend it was just her
tormented upbringing and that asa full grown woman, after having
served her time, she is no longer a threat to society.
I am not a mother, at least not of any human children.
I can't begin to comprehend the dark, endless well of emotions
(52:34):
that Elizabeth Olton's mother was forced to endure after
losing her precious baby girl especially.
In such a horrifically violent manner and even worse by a
neighborhood teenage girl. If I were her, I would wish only
hell upon Alyssa Bustamante's every breathing moment and do
(52:57):
everything in my power to ensureshe is never freed.
But again, this doesn't answer any question about how to handle
children, including teenagers, in the justice system.
It only invites more How young is too young to be labeled an
(53:18):
evil monster and be locked away for life?
What age is appropriate to destroy the rest of a child's
life when they commit the most atrocious of crimes?
The only answer I do have is that each case must be handled
on its own unique circumstances.Everything about the crime, the
(53:39):
offender, the victim, any attempt to conceal it, the
aftermath of being caught, the emotions or lack of shown by the
juvenile, all elements must be carefully measured and looked at
by different kinds of specialists and judges to
thoughtfully and carefully determine how a child offender's
crime and life should be handled.
(54:01):
The justice system and its players hold incredible power
over the direction of an offender's life, no matter their
age. The worst thing and the most
irresponsible thing they can do is not take under careful
consideration how their decisions will make a lifetime
impact on the child offender andtheir future.
(54:25):
The other side stems from the other part of my degree, which
is criminology. The calculated cold and sinister
plan Alyssa Bustamante set in motion almost a week before
fulfilling her fantasy, the repugnant words she spilled into
her diary after the murder. Her diary was her trophy of the
(54:47):
crime. If she hadn't felt the need to
write down how amazing it was tokill someone, I highly doubt she
would have ever been caught on some levels.
The most unsettling aspect of her as an offender can be
visibly seen and heard within the interrogation video.
She strikes off almost every boxof psychopathy at only 15 years
(55:13):
old. A lack of effect, No empathy,
Pathological line, Arrogant, manipulative.
Among the other well recorded traits, children can't be
diagnosed with psychopathy sincethey have not reached full
cognitive development. From what we know of the
disorder, at least from what researchers have gauged based on
(55:33):
other criminal psychopaths, something in a child's life
helped to trigger the disorder. I have read some speculation
about her having suffered sexualabuse.
I have also read claims that shekilled animals.
Unless these come from the case or from her words, which neither
of them have, I don't choose to presume either way.
(55:55):
She mentioned burying dead animals, but she never said she
killed them. I think some people out there
want to paint her as this blossoming serial killer because
to them that would make her evenmore captivating.
What is known is that Alyssa Bustamante grew up in an.
Emotionally turbulent, unstable and violent household in her
(56:17):
most formative years. I have often heard others say
that doesn't explain or justify what she did.
Of course not. Nothing ever could.
But it is critical to understandfrom the perspective of
criminology that not everyone has or has learned healthy
coping skills. Alyssa Bustamante was hit with
one trauma after another from before.
(56:40):
She was even. Born.
Her resentment, rage, and depression, combined with her
genetic propensity for violence and her emotional imbalance
caused her to boil over. She embraced darkness, violence,
and became obsessed with death. As she got older, something made
(57:02):
her completely detach from her emotional connection to others.
Alyssa Bustamante was a budding psychopath and no one noticed
its formation until she had madeher first kill.
Does that mean she is still a psychopath?
Or is a psychopath even possibleof changing?
(57:22):
Do they have the ability to change or progress without the
most extensive of therapy? Most research indicates that
they can't. They are resistant to change.
And don't progress in therapy much, if at all.
Could a child with psychopathy be different from an adult with
the disorder? Is there a chance that once
(57:44):
their brains are fully developed, they could be
altered? It's impossible to know,
especially given that juveniles can't be officially diagnosed.
From what I have found about herlife in prison, Alyssa
Bustamante is a model prisoner. Her grandparents and even some
of her siblings, including Emma,visit her.
(58:05):
I came across an interesting article that referenced Alyssa
Bustamante in relation to a woman who had spiraled downward
after becoming addicted to meth.A military wife whose life,
marriage and family completely unravelled when she became a
drug addict and was sent to prison.
She met Alyssa Bustamante and even though she was at first
(58:26):
freaked out to meet the most infamous convict at Chillicothe
Women's Prison, this woman saw something else in her.
The two women fell in love and consider each other wives.
This woman has since been released but still visits Alyssa
often. While performing research for
(58:47):
this case, I noticed how there are quite a few Alyssa fans
supporters out there. I wouldn't be bothered by this
fact. If they wanted her to be free
for the right reasons. Advocating for her parole based
on the premise of juvenile justice and that she was a child
when she committed the crime andthey believe she should be given
another chance would be one thing.
(59:10):
If they believe she should be released because she has
expressed genuine remorse and has taken major steps to prove
that her life is worth saving, then maybe I could get behind
it. But they are more fans than
supporters. People who comment on her hot
looks, people who express awe atwhat she did.
(59:34):
These individuals are disgustingand as disturbing as the words
she left behind in her diary. It's not at all surprising
though, given how many men and women have become obsessed and
even get romantically involved with the most depraved and
violent of criminals. I believe as she has proven to
be a real danger to herself and others and is capable and would
(59:57):
likely reoffend if given the opportunity.
I have little doubt that if Alyssa Bustamante had not been
caught at 15 years old, there would be a row of graves filled
with the neighborhood kids of Saint Martin, Missouri.
(01:00:20):
Thank you so much for listening to Part 2 of 2 Graves and A
Diary of Female The Real Color. I would love to hear what you
have thought about these two episodes.
I know I went into a lot of tangents this time, but I became
very compelled and invested in this case and looking at it
(01:00:42):
through different lenses. If you have any questions,
comments, or ideas for future episodes, I would love to hear
from you. Please reach out my contact
information you can find in the episode description.
Until next time, stay safe and watch out for shake and murder
(01:01:05):
happening on the streets next over, especially inside your own
home. Shades of Murder is created,
researched, written and edited by Alina Caldwell.
Original music stranger composedby Stereo Code.
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