Each time defense attorneys elicited testimony about Bustamante's troubled childhood, prosecutors countered by asking the mental health experts to describe what Bustamante had told them about the murder.
Those mental health officials testified that Bustamante told them she dug a grave several days in advance of the killing, then used her younger sister to lure Elizabeth outside with an invitation to play. Bustamante led Elizabeth into the woods by telling her she had a surprise for her.
The surprise turned out to be her demise. Bustamante sliced Elizabeth's throat — as the child apparently tried to resist — with a knife that had been hidden in a backpack. Bustamante also strangled Elizabeth to the point of unconsciousness, then repeatedly stabbed Elizabeth in the chest. She was buried in a shallow grave.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Reader Comments