Convicted teen killer Alyssa Bustamante denied parole; hearing rescheduled for 2029

JEFFERSON CITY, MO (KMIZ)

The Missouri Board of Parole has denied convicted Cole County murderer Alyssa Bustamante an early release from prison.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Karen Pojmann told ABC 17 News that Bustamante’s next hearing is expected to be in 2029. Some advocates for keeping Bustamante in prison longer say a new state law would further delay his parole eligibility.

Bustamante became eligible for parole from her second-degree murder conviction when state lawmakers changed the rules for people convicted of crimes as teenagers. Bustamante pleaded guilty in 2012 to killing 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten in St. Martins. Bustamante was 15 when she killed Olten in 2009. The board set the parole hearing for July 8.

Olten’s stepfather, Gary Bemboom, was informed of the parole board’s decision last week.

Bemboom said he hopes Bustamante’s parole schedule returns to what it was before a change state lawmakers made in 2021 for juvenile offenders. Senate Bill 754, signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson on July 9, bars people convicted of first- and second-degree murder from parole after serving 15 years of their sentence. That would make Bustamante eligible for parole in 2044.

Bemboom said the parole hearing was “another day of mourning” for the family.

“All the pain and grief was thrown back in the family’s face,” Bemboom said in an email. “Bustamante described how and why she killed Elizabeth with details that were not allowed at her trial. It was a devastating day for everyone who attended.”

Cole County District Attorney Locke Thompson told ABC 17 News in a text message that he was glad to hear the parole board denied her early release. He said SB 754 could invalidate the 2029 parole hearing when it goes into effect on Aug. 28.

“I hope that the introduction of Senate Bill 754 next month will push future parole hearings well beyond 2029,” Thompson said.

Bustamante, now 30 years old, has been in prison since 2009.