15 Year Old Charged with First Degree Murder in the Death of 9 Year Old Elizabeth Olten
A 15 year old juvenile has been charged with first degree murder in the death of 9 year old 
Elizabeth Olten. Elizabeth Olten went missing on October 21, 2009 and was found 2 days later in a wooded area by investigators.
Sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and volunteers began searching for the girl quickly, and continued that search Thursday and Friday, until Elizabeth’s body was found about 2:40 p.m. Friday.
“It was in the woods, several hundred yards away from the houses,” White said. “We had been (searching) through that area more than once.
“The body was very well concealed.”
He would not be more specific about how the body was hidden, or whether the place where it was found also was the crime scene.
The name and gender of the juvenile charged has not been released. However, the unnamed teenage suspect is not related to Elizabeth but was acquainted with her and is from the same area just west of Jefferson City.
Authorities said Saturday that a 15-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder for the death of a 9-year-old central Missouri girl found in the woods two days after she went missing.
Police did not release the teen’s gender or name and provided few other details about the person suspected of killing Elizabeth Olten. Cole County Sheriff Greg White has said the teenage suspect is not related to Elizabeth but was acquainted with her and is from the same area just west of Jefferson City.
According to Missouri state law, children as young as 12 can be charged as adults with first-degree murder.
With Olten’s body, came the formal charge from Juvenile Court Administrator Michael Couty.
“Alleging a 15-year-old committed an offensive murder in the first degree,” Couty concluded.
Stringent Missouri juvenile laws protect most information in the case.
565.020. — First degree murder, penalty–person under sixteen years of age not to receive death penalty
[...] 15 year old has been charged with first degree murder in the death of 9 year old Elizabeth Olten. The name and gender of the individual charged has been [...]
Pingback by 15 Year Old Juvenile Charged with First Degree Murder of 9 Year Old Elizabeth Olten | Scared Monkeys | October 25, 2009
What is the justification First degree murder, penalty–person under sixteen years of age not to receive death penalty? They were old enought to take a life and fully understand what they did, they deserve the same consequences.
Comment by Mercier | October 25, 2009
[...] as it had been speculated from the minute that Elizabeth Olten’s body was found and that an unnamed 15 year old was charged with the crime. Alyssa Bustamante’s name came on the radar as an obvious suspect in the crime of [...]
Pingback by 15yr old Alyssa Bustamante Indicted for 1st Degree Murder of 9yr old Elizabeth Olten | Scared Monkeys | November 19, 2009