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alyssa bustamante punished with life in prison with the possibility of parole

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When Alyssa Bustamante committed brutal murder she was just 15-yearsold. Some people have wondered if a juvenile committed the crime, or an adult.

No parent would ever suggest that their 15-year-old is an adult. But, in the eyes of the justice system and the victim's family, a child isn't a child any more when a murder is committed. NewsChannel 5's Art Holliday spoke to a local attorney about crime, punishment, and rehabilitation, and how complicated it gets when children are punished like adults.

"In her own words premeditated, thought out, she thought about it she wrote about it, she seemed to enjoy it based upon her own words. Then it's a simple equation for people, she should be punished severely for that crime," said Attorney Paul D'Agrosa.

And Alyssa Bustamante will be severely punished with life in prison with the possibility of parole.

D'Agrosa wonders about the psychiatric treatment Bustamante may or may not receive while incarcerated.

"Is society better served by putting her in a juvenile justice facility where she will be institutionalized and treated and rehabilitated and apparently her mental issues dealt with? I would say in a lot of cases yes, but when you're talking about murder most people would say no," said D'Agrosa. "When a vicious crime is committed by a young offender, society struggles with what to do. Should a 15-year-old who murders be punished like an adult? Should society's response be different for a juvenile offender? These are not easy questions to answer."

But what about when it's a child who murders another child? How could someone so young do something so horrible? Those are the questions many of us are asking.

"Some would say that's easy to figure out. Punish her, send her to prison for as long as possible. Don't worry about what happens later on in her life. I don't take that view and a lot of people don't in the criminal justice system," said D'Agrosa.

There was one issue D'Agrosa kept coming back to; because Bustamante could be paroled at some point, her long term future will depend on what kind of psychiatric care she'll receive behind bars... READ MORE