Friend: Bustamante Discussed Killing

(CBS/ AP)  A best friend of a teenage girl accused of murdering a 9-year-old neighbor says her friend once said she wondered what it would be like to kill someone.

Alyssa Bustamante, 15, has been held at the Morgan County jail after being indicted Wednesday as an adult on charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the Oct. 21 death of Elizabeth Olten.

"She (Bustamante) told me I wonder what it would be like to kill somebody," Jennifer Meyer told CBS' "The Early Show" Monday.

"I just dismissed her," Meyer said.

Crimesider: Bustamante Listed "Killing" as a Hobby Online

"She seemed like any ordinary girl," Meyer said of Bustamante, adding that she spoke often about suicide and depression. "She was always kind of strange, I guess."

Authorities say Bustamante strangled, stabbed and cut Elizbeth's throat because she wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone. They say Bustamante confessed and led them to Elizabeth's body two days later in a wooded area near their homes in St. Martins, just west of Jefferson City.

During a court hearing last week, a juvenile justice officer testified that Bustamante had attempted suicide two years ago and had received both inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment for depression and cutting herself. Her juvenile defense attorney said Bustamante also had attempted to cut herself with her own fingernails while being held in juvenile custody after Elizabeth's death.

Public defender Jan King cited the previous suicide attempt in a court document Thursday while stating that Bustamante was "demonstrating signs of severe depression and anxiety" and had been under a suicide watch at the jail.

Bustamante needs "immediate psychological treatment" to "assess her current mental state and to prevent the possibility that she may harm herself," King said in the motion requesting her transfer.

A not guilty plea was entered by a judge on Bustamante's behalf during her initial appearance Wednesday in adult court. If Bustamante is convicted of first-degree murder, she would face a sentence of life in prison without parole.

[marine1957]

She (Bustamante) told me I wonder what it would be like to kill somebody," Jennifer Meyer told CBS' "The Early Show" Monday.

"I just dismissed her," Meyer said.

I would not have dismissed her - rather I would have said, "If you want to know what it is like to kill someone, try it on yourself first!"

[dblbar1]

Why is this even news.....this is the 3rd day this story has been on however, FOUR AMERICAN SOLDIERS WERE KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN YESTERDAY and that story is already gone...........

[newskid23]

im 17 and i play mature game and i watch r rated movies in my " fun time" but you dont see me killing people. i play grand theift auto and i run shooting police and running over people when is 14 but i dont go do that in real life. i know the diffrence between games and real life alot of people say that video games and movies are bad for us and we cant tell real life from fake life. yeah some kids cant take the diffrence but most of us can.

[Sloughfoot]

The same whinners clamoring for some police officer's head for tasing an out of control 11 year old will be on the same stump wanting home bail and juvie court for this witch. Wait and see, they're lining up already. You can bet book-writers and movie makers are approaching her family before her victum is in the ground.

[6591Hou]

The young lady should become an old lady somewhere that she cannot escape from but get treated - the treatment should not enable her release.

[Sloughfoot]

Ibid-but you and I both know the bleeding hearts will circle up the wagons around this vicious killer killer who will be sent to treatment camp and then the juvie system and she will be out in 3-5. Are all of you awaitning her upcoming book and screen play highlighting her long and illustrious life.

[bmirarck2]

Wow, straight from the "Family Values" south. What a frickin' surprise. White trailer trash!

[sabrann]

ya know what...not all people from the south are like that .... that is a VERY disgusting comment. I am raising my daughter with ,apparently, more values and respect than you where raised with.

[drthvader]

I live in the South and I don't live in a trailer. Shut up, you've never been here. As a matter of fact I hope ignorance like yours won't come here.

[SocietysNightmare]

Locking this child away & throwing away the key is NOT THE ANSWER. We need to ascertain why she did what she did. These types of sentiments are growing in our society. We need to find a way to intervene before a person reaches this point.

[writer10]

umm...sooo, what's your answer, cause there was no intervention and she already reached 'that' point. I'm sure if it were your daughter she did these horrific things to, you'd invite her over for Thanksgiving and 'discuss' why she did what she did as she sits in the chair meant for your daughter? As awful as it is, sometimes you just have to face the fact that there are bad people out there that no amount of 'intervention' will assist with - and bad people come in all ages/gender.

[Phxfire]

This young lady needs to be protected from herself and society needs to protected from her. This does not mean I am convinced she is a monster, but regardless of the cause she is a danger. The cause could be mental illness, a physical condition (i.e. brain injury or malfunction) or just plain sociopathic nature, but we do need to be reasonable in our approach while we balance her rights or illness against the rights and safety of the public.

[writer10]

wow...your post if full of bleeding heart BS...first of all, no 'young lady' would carry out such an unbelievable act, secondly, if you're not 'convinced' she's a monster by her postings/actions, well, that's a whole different issue - quite obviously, she's showing sociopathic tendency - however, Bundy was a sociopath...and Bundy was a monster, yet, you wish to discuss balancing 'her' rights?? She previously 'wondered about, publicly discussed, then carried out the brutal act of killing, now an innocent 9 year old girl is dead because of her...which means she has incurred the 'right' to be locked up in a mental hospital.

[andacar]

I think it's perfectly valid to both loathe this person (IF she is found guilty) for what she did, and deplore the horrific conditions that led up to this. That doesn?t mean I?m some bleeding heart or feel sorry for her. I don?t. It's true; we need to keep people safe from crazies like this. I went to school with a few of them, and I no longer wonder if they would have actually carried out some of the threats I heard. But SOMETHING has to be done about the miserable excuse for American parenting we see today, with parents in prison, doing hard drugs, abusing, molesting, doing anything they damn well want except what they are supposed to be doing, which is nurturing and loving a child. Yes, lock Bustamonte away if she?s convicted for this horrible crime and throw away the key. But for God?s sake figure out how to create some better parents or we?re going to be seeing a lot more like her.

[Phxfire]

Its not just when parents go bad. Some kids are just 'bad seeds'. Whether conditions other than parenting have caused this, such as mental illness, medical conditions, previous abuse or other factors, its irresponsible to blame the parents in all cases. How many times have we heard of a child going bad while their many siblings are not killing, robbing or other horrendous acts. Society takes some blame, not being concerned about the violence protrayed in games, movies and other outlets. These have caused a numbing in our kids, a lack of understanding or empathy. In this parents do need to take responsibility, quit buying games that are rated for mature users, sending your kids to movies that are for adults and be less concerned with your kids seeing nudity and more concerned about the violence they witness or interact with every day in their 'fun' time.

[jt92202]

The reason the Judge entered the plea is Because she has been ordered to be assess on her current mental state. Since there is question to her mental state she cannot plea for herself, so the judge does it for her until she has been assessed and they have a report from a doctor stating she is capible or incabible of standing up for trial, this is very normal. If she is deamed capible of standing trial either her or her lawyer will plea either guilty or not guilty.