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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A judge has denied a new trial for a young Missouri woman who pleaded guilty to murder for the slaying of a 9-year-old neighbor girl.
Alyssa Bustamante was 15 years old in 2009 when she killed Elizabeth Olten and buried her in a wooded area near Jefferson City. Bustamante wrote in her diary that it was an "ahmazing" and "pretty enjoyable" experience.
Bustamante originally was charged with first-degree murder. That would have carried a mandatory life sentence without parole. She pleaded guilty to a second degree murder and was sentenced to life with the chance of parole.
Several months after her plea, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled juveniles cannot face automatic life sentences.
Bustamante claimed she would not have pleaded guilty if she had known that case was pending.
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