Jury will be brought to central Mo. county to hear case of teen charged with killing girl, 9

Out-of-town jury to hear case in Mo. girl’s death

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — An out-of-town jury will hear the case against a central Missouri teenager accused of killing a 9-year-old neighbor.

Attorneys for Alyssa Bustamante had asked that her first-degree murder trial be moved to another county because of the publicity surrounding Elizabeth Olten’s death last fall.

But during a hearing Tuesday, prosecutor Mark Richardson said he preferred to keep the case in Cole County because he expects to call several witnesses and out of respect for the victim’s family. He suggested bringing in a jury from another county.

Judge Patricia Joyce scheduled a March 8 hearing to decide where the jury will be selected.

Bustamante has pleaded not guilty in Elizabeth’s death. Authorities say Bustamante, who was 15 at the time, confessed to slaying her neighbor because she wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone.