‘Depraved, wicked, evil, inhuman’: MMA fighter gets 27 years to life for daughter’s starvation death

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (TCN) -- A father has been sentenced to 27 years to life in prison for the 2024 starvation death of his 5-year-old daughter. 

Spectrum Local News reports 35-year-old Robert Buskey Jr. was sentenced on April 3.

Buskey pleaded guilty to the charges on Jan. 23. A former mixed martial arts (MMA) cage fighter, Buskey has been in custody since his arrest in April 2024. First responders arriving at the home following a report of an unresponsive child found the body of Charlotte Buskey, 5, inside a portable crib in a locked bedroom. 

The home was described as being in deplorable condition. The kitchen was stocked with food, but the girl was emaciated and had no traces of food in her system. Her 3-year-old brother was found in a makeshift cage in the living room. According to prosecutors, Buskey kept the children locked up so he could play video games and do drugs without being interrupted. Both children tested positive for cocaine.

According to Schenectady County Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Christina Tremante, “This is unfortunately not a case of a brutal but quick death. … Charlotte had been neglected and malnourished for months,” Spectrum Local News reports. “When she was 2½ years old, she weighed 40 pounds. When she died at 5 years old, she weighed 30.”

Buskey apologized for his actions in court, WGRB reports. He said, “I deserve it. I understand why I am being prosecuted here. I understand the reasons why everyone looks at me as a monster.”

According to Tremante, neighbors heard Charlotte Buskey yelling, WGRB reports. She said, “It’s the definition of depraved, wicked, evil, inhuman state of mind. He didn’t just leave her and forget about her.”

WAMC reports Joseph Litz, Buskey’s public defender, said Buskey had mental health and substance abuse struggles, and other people could have stepped in to help Charlotte Buskey, such as neighbors, family members, and Child Protective Services. In response, Judge Matthew Sypniewski said, “This is not a referendum case on the mental health services within the county, the Child Protective Services, substance abuse services, or anything to do with anybody else or any other agency.”

Sypniewski said that although parole is a possibility for Buskey, the case was one of the worst ever seen in the county, according to WAMC.

Buskey’s son is now living with a relative, according to WGRB. A protection order prohibiting any contact with his son was issued as part of Buskey’s plea agreement in January. According to WAMC, Buskey is scheduled to appear in family court in April for the issuing of an additional order of protection. 

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‘Entombed in her bedroom’: Former MMA fighter pleads guilty after 5-year-old daughter starves to death — True Crime News