In a case that has sent shockwaves through the community, a former mixed martial arts fighter has pleaded guilty to the horrific starvation death of his five-year-old daughter and the severe neglect of his young son, who was discovered locked in a cage.
A House of Unimaginable Horror
Robert S. Buskey Jr., 35, admitted in court on Friday to second-degree murder in the death of his daughter, Charlotte Buskey. The plea follows the discovery of a truly appalling scene at the family home on Elmer Avenue in New York, which authorities have described as a 'house of horrors'.
The Tragic Discovery
Police were called to the residence on April 14, 2024, after Charlotte became unresponsive. Upon entering what they termed a 'deplorable' home, officers made a series of devastating finds. In the living room, they discovered Buskey's three-year-old son, thankfully alive, padlocked inside a cage.
The situation for his sister, however, was far more tragic. Charlotte's emaciated body was found curled up in a tiny cot in her bedroom, which had been locked from the outside. Prosecutors stated her eyes were sunken into her skull, a harrowing testament to her prolonged suffering.
Starvation Amidst Plenty
Perhaps the most chilling aspect of this case is the revelation that boxes of food were found piled outside Charlotte's locked bedroom door. Despite this available sustenance, the five-year-old had been, in the words of officials, 'neglected and malnourished for months'.
An autopsy confirmed she died in a state of severe dehydration and was completely devoid of any food. She did not even have a proper bed, forced to sleep in a small pack-n-play cot she had long outgrown.
A Father's Chilling Admission
In a stark courtroom admission, Buskey told an officer, 'I let my daughter die. She had no food, no water, no contact with anyone, in a pack-n-play, left there to die, and she did.' This statement formed part of the prosecution's case, highlighting his conscious neglect.
Authorities detailed how Buskey had deliberately shut his children off from family and the outside world, never taking them to doctors. Instead, he spent hours taking drugs and playing video games, allegedly to avoid being 'bothered by his children'.
Further Criminal Charges
In addition to the murder charge, Buskey also pleaded guilty to criminal sale of a controlled substance to a child. Both children tested positive for cocaine, adding another layer of depravity to the case.
A statement from prosecutors read, 'The charge of depraved murder is reserved for those individuals who have an utter disregard for the value of human life. It reflects a wicked, evil and inhuman state of mind as manifested by brutal, heinous and despicable acts, and it sums up Mr. Buskey's conduct in this case.'
Background and Sentencing
Buskey, who fought in several MMA competitions in the Albany area according to his Tapology profile, admitted to a 'depraved indifference to human life' and creating a 'grave risk of injury' that led directly to his daughter's death.
He now faces a sentence of between 27 years and life in prison when he is sentenced on March 27. The case stands as a grim reminder of the extreme failures in parental duty and the devastating consequences of unchecked neglect.
