Former MMA fighter pleads guilty after 5-year-old daughter starves to death

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (TCN) — A man will serve a maximum of 27 years in prison after pleading guilty to murder in his daughter’s 2024 starvation death.

Robert Buskey Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and criminal sale of a controlled substance to a child in Jan. 23, WRGB reports. As part of the plea agreement, Buskey waived his right to appeal and is not allowed contact with his son. WTEN reports an order of protection was issued on behalf of the now 5-year-old boy.

He will serve a maximum of 25 years for the murder charge and two years for the drug charge, according to WRGB. 

People reports Buskey, who previously competed in local mixed martial arts (MMA) cage fighting events, has been in custody since he was arrested in April 2024 following his daughter’s death.

On April 14, 2024, first responders arrived at a home after receiving a report of an unresponsive child, according to WRGB. They described the home as being in deplorable condition and located the body of Charlotte Buskey, 5, in a portable crib inside a locked bedroom. Her 3-year-old brother was found in a makeshift cage in the dining room.

People reports that according to prosecutors, Buskey kept the children locked up so he could do drugs and play video games without being interrupted. 

The Daily Voice reports the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office called the home a “house of horrors” and said Charlotte Buskey had allegedly been “entombed in her bedroom” by her father. She had reportedly not been to school, to medical appointments, or to see family members.

The portable crib where Charlotte Buskey was found was too small for her and she reportedly was curled up in the fetal position when discovered, according to the Daily Voice. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The medical examiner said the child had no traces of food in her body and her eyes had shrunk into her skull from emaciation. The house was reportedly stocked with food, but Buskey reportedly taped the lock on his daughter’s door to reinforce it after she escaped.

Both Charlotte Buskey and her younger brother, who has not been named by authorities, also tested positive for cocaine.

Buskey is scheduled to be sentenced on March 27, according to WRGB.

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