Teen killer Alyssa Bustamante had troubled family, depression

DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Defense attorneys for a confessed teenage killer in Missouri are suggesting that a troubled family and an antidepressant drug might have played a role in her murderous actions.

A sentencing hearing was to continue Tuesday for Alyssa Bustamante, who pleaded guilty to the October 2009 killing of 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten near Jefferson City.

Bustamante described in her journal on the night of the crime how she strangled, cut the throat and stabbed the young girl. She wrote that it was "pretty enjoyable."

Defense attorneys are citing the testimony of a psychiatrist who said an increased dosage of the antidepressant drug Prozac might have added to Bustamante's mood swings and violent tendencies. Defense attorneys also note that Bustamante's family had a history of troubles with drugs and depression.

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Associated Press