SCHENECTADY, NY – The windows were dark, curtains drawn tightly against the world, as an unimaginable tragedy unfolded inside a quiet home on State Street. On April 14, investigators responding to a call for an unresponsive child stepped inside and discovered a house gripped by neglect and cruelty—a scene they would later describe as a “house of horrors.”
The center of that horror was Robert S. Buskey Jr., 35, who stood in Schenectady County Court on January 23 to admit to unspeakable acts. Buskey pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and criminal sale of a controlled substance to a child, crimes that would cost the life of his 5-year-old daughter, Charlotte, and leave his family—and the community—shaken.
As the details emerged, so did the horror. Prosecutors outlined a life Charlotte had been forced to endure. For months, she was locked inside a barren bedroom without food or water, her world reduced to a cramped pack-and-play instead of a bed. The door, padlocked from the outside and further reinforced with packing tape to prevent her escape, separated her from a house otherwise filled with food—boxes stacked just beyond her reach.
While his daughter slowly faded from hunger and thirst, Buskey retreated deeper into addiction and avoidance. Authorities testified that Buskey spent his days using drugs and playing video games, ignoring the desperate needs of his children. Investigators revealed that Charlotte’s younger brother, just three years old, was also imprisoned, kept in a makeshift cage within the dining room.
The investigation painted a picture of isolation. Cut off from the outside world, the children no longer saw relatives, attended medical appointments, or went to school. The home became their entire universe—a world shrunk to the confines of locked doors and cages, presided over by a father consumed by his own vices.
Charlotte’s suffering ended in unimaginable deprivation. An autopsy would confirm she died from dehydration and starvation, her body entirely devoid of food. Both siblings tested positive for cocaine, deepening the tragic consequences of their father’s actions. Prosecutors charged Buskey not only with murder but also for giving drugs to his young son.
On the day he pleaded guilty, Buskey admitted to actions that, in the words of prosecutors, showed a “depraved indifference to human life.” As part of his plea agreement, Buskey waived his right to appeal and will not have any contact with his now-5-year-old son, who survived his ordeal.
The agreement guarantees the maximum possible punishment: 25 years to life for the murder, plus an additional two years for the drug charge. Buskey awaits formal sentencing on March 27, where his fate will be sealed at 27 years to life in prison.
Previously known as a local amateur mixed martial arts fighter, Buskey’s arrest in April marked a drastic fall from a life that once included community involvement. Since then, he has remained in custody, his actions casting a long shadow over a neighborhood now haunted by the memory of Charlotte’s suffering.
Authorities continue to grapple with the aftermath, working to ensure the surviving child receives support, even as the community struggles to come to terms with the depth of the tragedy.