A former amateur MMA fighter in New York has admitted to horrifying abuse that led to the death of his young daughter, leaving prosecutors and investigators describing the home where it happened as a “house of horrors.”
Robert S. Buskey Jr., 35, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty in January to second-degree murder in the death of his 5-year-old daughter, Charlotte. Prosecutors say he also admitted to criminal sale of a controlled substance to a child after both children tested positive for cocaine.
Buskey is expected to receive a sentence of 27 years to life in prison when he returns to court on March 27. As part of his plea agreement, he waived his right to appeal and will never be allowed to have contact with his son again.
Authorities say the tragedy came to light on April 14, 2024, when emergency responders were called to Buskey’s home on Elmer Avenue after reports of an unresponsive child.
When police arrived, they discovered Charlotte’s severely emaciated body inside a bedroom.
Her 3-year-old brother was found nearby in the dining room, where investigators say he had been kept inside a makeshift cage.
Officials believe both children had been neglected and malnourished for months. Prosecutors say they were cut off from relatives, no longer attending school, visiting doctors, or interacting with the outside world.
Instead, investigators say Buskey confined the children inside the home while he spent his time using drugs and playing video games.
Prosecutors said Charlotte had been locked inside a bedroom that had a lock installed on the outside of the door. When Buskey realized the girl could escape by shaking the door, he reinforced the lock with tape to keep her trapped inside.
Inside the room, Charlotte did not even have a bed. Instead, she slept in a small pack-and-play crib designed for toddlers, forcing her to curl up to fit.
Authorities say she was left alone without food, water, or contact with anyone, even though groceries were stored inside the house — including boxes of food sitting just outside the bedroom door.
When first responders found her, prosecutors said Charlotte was so dehydrated that her eyes had sunk into her skull and her body was severely emaciated.
An autopsy later revealed that her body was completely devoid of food.
Investigators also discovered that both Charlotte and her brother tested positive for cocaine. Under New York law, giving drugs to another person can qualify as criminal sale of a controlled substance.
Before the crimes came to light, Buskey had been known locally as an amateur MMA super heavyweight fighter. He competed between 2015 and 2022 and compiled a 3–1 record, with three wins coming by first-round knockouts.
But people who once knew him say his life eventually spiraled.
A former coach told reporters that Buskey changed dramatically after drifting away from the sport and falling deeper into drug use.
“There’s definitely two different people,” the coach said. “The person we knew, and then the person he became.”
The coach said he had tried multiple times to encourage Buskey to seek help, but those attempts were ignored.
At the time of the children’s deaths, Buskey reportedly had custody of them because their mother was in drug rehabilitation.
According to the former coach, Buskey has already been assaulted while in jail after other inmates learned about the case.
Authorities say the surviving child is now safe and no longer in Buskey’s custody.
Starve him and burn him on a stake!