Bustamante paperwork battle continues

Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson told Presiding Circuit Judge Patricia Joyce on Monday that she should "compel" Alyssa Bustamante's lawyers "to disclose any expert mental health witness(es) that they intend to call at the trial."

And Public Defenders Donald Catlett and Charles Moreland told Joyce on Thursday that prosecutors still have not responded to their initial requests for information, filed 18 months ago.

Bustamante, now 17, faces first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges for the Oct. 21, 2009, killing of neighbor Elizabeth Olten, 9.

The court released the two newest motions Friday afternoon.

The public defenders' newest motion repeats some allegations contained in a motion they filed May 16, alleging continuing delays by Richardson and his staff.

Case.net, the state court system's online docket service, showed Joyce had not ruled on any of the three motions by the end of Friday.

And the public defenders' newest motion, as released to the media, appears to be incomplete, with only three pages when the fax markings on it indicate there should have been nine.

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