Today's horrific story of the day comes from Missouri where a then 15yro teen murdered her 9yr old neighbor just 'to see what it felt like to kill someone'.

How sad and disgusting, it makes you wonder what kind of society we are raising our kids in when the desire 'to see what it feels like' turns into murder.

Too many people think freedom of choice, as in abortion, is a right to kill and take the life of someone. When we are raising our kids in a society that says 'abortion is health care', how can we teach our children that freedom of choice doesn't apply to doing what 'feels good' or a desire to see what something feels like?

Today's media and culture teaches kids that drugs, abortion, homosexuality and other immoral behavior are 'choices' and as long as they aren't imposing their 'choices' on others it is their right. Freedom of choice should never include self harm nor harming others. In this case, the teen obviously had some mental instability since she had a history of a past suicide attempt and self-abuse, but why didn't the treatment she had help her two years before? Where was her family and what kind of home environment did she come from? Regardless, it sounds like she planned it out and knew what she was doing and made this choice simply to find out what 'it felt like'. Unfortunately, for the nine year old victim, the teen could only receive three years in prison because she plead guilty to reduce charges.

Teen murders neighbour's kid to 'know what it felt to kill someone'

A US teen has been charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action for murdering her nine-year-old neighbour. Alyssa Bustamante from Missouri said that she wanted to know what it feels like to kill someone, so she strangled her neighbour with her hands, stabbed her in the chest and cut her throat with a knife.

Bustamante pleaded guilty in the October 21, 2009, killing of Elizabeth Olten in St Martins, a rural town just west of Jefferson City. The plea avoids a trial that had been scheduled to start later this month. Bustamante, who is to turn 18 on Jan 28, was 15 at the time of the slaying and lived just a few homes down the road from Olten. She told the judge that she knew what she was doing when she strangled the kid with her hands and used a knife to attack her.

Bustamante would have faced life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder. But by pleading guilty to a reduced murder charge, Bustamante could be released, News.com.au reported. The punishment for second-degree murder ranges from 10-30 years in prison or life with the possibility of parole. The judge said the armed criminal action charge is punishable by three years up to life in prison.

Bustamante's lawyer, Charlie Moreland, said in an interview that Bustamante decided to plead guilty because "she wanted to take responsibility for it''. Juvenile justice officials testified at a November 2009 hearing that Bustamante had attempted to commit suicide at age 13 after receiving mental health treatment for depression and cutting herself.

At that hearing, prosecutors said Bustamante had plotted Olten's death, even digging two holes to be used as graves, then attending school for about a week while waiting for the right time to kill. Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant David Rice testified that the teenager confessed to the slaying and led authorities to Elizabeth's body. Rice said Bustamante told him "she wanted to know what it felt like'' to kill someone. (ANI)

©2008 Patricia Garza

Labels: abuse, behavior, Crime, Kids and Teens