A former super heavyweight MMA champion has been found guilty of the murder of his 5-year-old daughter, Charlotte. The criminal now faces 27 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree charges.
Robert Buskey of Schenectady, New York, is an amateur mixed martial artist with a 2-1 record inside the cage. Despite being nicknamed ‘Jitspanda,’ Buskey was best known for the power in his hands. After beginning his amateur career with a submission defeat, he would go on to win two straight by first-round knockout and capture the Cage Wars vacant super heavyweight title, before making a move over to kickboxing, where he would again secure a first-round finish in his single outing. Even with his success, the 35-year-old was never going to achieve global fame within his profession, but did manage to do so with the heinous act that he committed on his daughter that resulted in her untimely death.
According to reports, Charlotte was found dead of thirst and starvation, while her 3-year-old brother, who was also a victim of neglect, was found locked in a cage, wasting away. During this time, sources say Robert Buskey was bingeing on drugs and video games, failing to attend to both his children and not feeding them, despite the house being stocked full of food. Both of his kids also tested positive for cocaine.
(Image credit: The Robbie Harvey/Facebook)
Charlotte was reportedly imprisoned in a bedroom that Robert Buskey had locked from the outside. The room had no bed, forcing the young child to find other means of comfort, which usually came in the form of her undersized playpen.
A report from the Schenectady County District Attorney stated that Charlotte was so deprived of food and water that “her eyes were sunken into her skull and her body completely emaciated”.
Robert Buskey was handed the maximum sentence allowed by law after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.