Evidence, witness lists sought

Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson's office has made a request to get information from the defense lawyers representing Alyssa Bustamante.

Bustamante is charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 21, 2009, death of Elizabeth Olten, 9, near St. Martins.

In a motion filed Thursday, assistant prosecutor Anji Gandhi asks that Bustamante's attorney, public defender Donald Catlett, disclose "all reports or statements of experts made in connection with this case, including but not limited to results of physical or mental examinations and of scientific tests, experiments, or comparisons, which the defense intends to introduce into evidence at a hearing or trial."

However, the motion noted, that would not include any "portions" of evidence "containing statements made by" Bustamante.

The request also asks that the defense provide the names and addresses of those people the defense plans on calling as witnesses at any hearing or trial along with any written or recorded statements those witnesses have made.

Finally, Gandhi asked the defense to provide prosecutors with any parts of "books, papers, documents, photographs, or objects, excluding portions containing statements" from Bustamante, "which the defense intends to introduce at a hearing or trial."

The trial is scheduled to start June 1, with a jury selected in Greene County.

After the jury is picked, the trial will be held in Cole County.

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