A sentencing closes a case that unraveled across a quiet village and the Genesee River.
ROCHESTER, NY – A Monroe County woman was sentenced Thursday to 25 years to life in prison after prosecutors said she strangled her sister inside a Honeoye Falls home, disposed of the body in the Genesee River, and discarded key evidence in a nearby dumpster. Jamie Busch, 53 at the time of the killing, was convicted in February in the death of her 62-year-old sister, Penny Busch.
The killing traces back to October 2024, when the sisters were inside Penny Busch’s home on Ontario Street, about 18 miles south of Rochester. According to a criminal complaint obtained by WHEC, a “physical altercation” occurred sometime after 4:49 p.m., during which Jamie Busch strangled her sister.
Court findings and sentencing statements
At sentencing, Judge Stephen Miller said Busch was “not remorseful in any way, shape or form,” according to WHAM. In a prepared statement, Busch maintained her innocence, saying she was “framed” and that her sister’s killer is “still out there.” She accused the victim’s daughter of the crime, though prosecutors said the daughter was in South Carolina at the time.
Family members expressed relief following the conviction. “I just want to say this is not the first time that she has tried to strangle a family member,” cousin Mary Shadders told WHAM. “We’re glad that even though the jury couldn’t hear the whole story of her history that they were able to make the right decision.”
Timeline of disappearance and discovery
Investigators said that early the next day, Busch discarded three of her sister’s cellphones in a trash bin behind a Dunkin’ Donuts in the village. In the days that followed, she transported the body and dumped it into the Genesee River.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office was called to conduct a welfare check on Oct. 11 at Penny Busch’s eight-acre property. Deputies reported that they “believed her disappearance was suspicious,” prompting a search involving K-9 units and drones.
Three days later, investigators “developed information focusing the search to an area of the Genesee River in the Town of Rush,” the sheriff’s office said. A body recovered from the river was later identified as Penny Busch.
Jamie Busch was also charged with tampering with evidence in connection with the case.
Jamie Busch sentencing, Penny Busch murder, Honeoye Falls crime, Genesee River body case, Monroe County NY homicide
