A former New York MMA fighter is headed for a massive prison sentence after admitting to a nightmare scenario inside his home — where his 5-year-old daughter died and her little brother was found confined in what investigators described as a makeshift cage.
Robert S. Buskey Jr., 35, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty on January 23 to second-degree murder in the death of his daughter, Charlotte, along with a charge tied to providing drugs to a child, according to prosecutors.
Officials say Buskey is set to receive 27 years to life in prison when he’s sentenced on March 27 — the maximum allowed under the plea agreement. As part of the deal, he waived his right to appeal and will be barred from any contact with his son, who is now 5.
Prosecutors said Buskey admitted he acted with “depraved indifference to human life” by creating the conditions that led to Charlotte’s death.
The case exploded into view on April 14, 2024, when emergency responders were called to Buskey’s Elmer Avenue home for a report of an unresponsive child.
What they found inside was immediately labeled a “house of horrors,” officials said.
Investigators said Charlotte was discovered severely malnourished and dehydrated inside Buskey’s bedroom. Her 3-year-old brother was found in the dining room, confined in a makeshift enclosure.
Authorities believe the children had been neglected for months and largely cut off from the outside world. Prosecutors said the kids were no longer seeing family regularly, weren’t going to school, and weren’t attending medical appointments.
Inside the home, investigators said Buskey had installed a lock on the outside of Charlotte’s bedroom door. When he realized she could work it loose, prosecutors said he reinforced it with tape.
They also said the child didn’t have a proper bed — instead sleeping in a small pack-and-play style crib. Prosecutors allege she was left isolated without basic care, even though the home contained groceries and food stored near the locked bedroom.
An autopsy later found Charlotte’s body was “completely devoid of food,” officials said.
Investigators also reported that both children tested positive for cocaine. Under New York law, prosecutors noted, providing narcotics to another person can be treated as the sale of a controlled substance.
Before the case, Buskey had a local reputation as an amateur MMA super heavyweight fighter, putting together a 3–1 record between 2015 and 2022 — with several wins reportedly ending fast via first-round knockouts.
But a former coach told the New York Post that Buskey’s life unraveled as he drifted away from the sport and fell deeper into drug use.
“There’s definitely two different people,” the coach said, describing a stark split between the man he once knew and the person authorities say committed the crimes. The coach also claimed he repeatedly urged Buskey to get help, but was brushed off.
The coach said Buskey had custody at the time because the children’s mother was in drug rehabilitation.
And behind bars, the coach alleged Buskey has already faced violent consequences after other inmates learned why he was locked up.
Now, with his guilty plea on the record and sentencing just weeks away, the case is expected to end with Buskey spending the rest of his life under state supervision — while a community continues grappling with how it ever got this far.
He should have received the death penalty. He should be tortured to death like the baby girl was.