Updated

Missouri's attorney general says a 16-year-old girl accused of killing a young neighbor because she wanted to know how it felt should be educated while awaiting trial.

Attorney General Chris Koster filed a brief Monday, saying Missouri's laws and constitution guarantee a free public education to all children.

Alyssa Bustamante is charged as an adult with first-degree murder in the October 2009 death of 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten near Jefferson City. Prosecutors say Bustamante told police she wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone. She has pleaded not guilty.

Bustamante's attorney wants the Missouri Supreme Court to order the local sheriff to allow her to continue her education in jail. The sheriff says she has access to GED materials like other inmates.