A Missouri woman who killed a pregnant lady and cut the foetus out of her body in 2022 is now facing the death penalty. Amber Waterman, 45, was convicted in federal court last year for the kidnapping and murder of 33-year-old Ashley Bush, who was 31 weeks pregnant at the time, as per reports. She is serving two consecutive life sentences for the crime.
On May 8, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that state prosecutors could continue with a capital murder trial against Waterman, rejecting her defence team's argument that a second trial would violate double jeopardy laws.
According to investigators, Waterman created a fake Facebook account under the name "Lucy Barrows" on October 25, 2022, and used it to contact Bush, offering her maternity clothes and a job opportunity. She convinced Bush to meet her in a convenience store parking lot, where she kidnapped and later fatally shot her. Authorities say her motive was to steal Bush's unborn child and raise it as her own, as per 5News.
After the murder, Waterman allegedly cut the foetus from Bush's body and called 911, pretending to be the mother. She told emergency responders that she had given birth in her truck on the way to the hospital and that the baby died during delivery.
Federal complaints revealed that Waterman led her husband, Jamie Waterman, to Bush's body. He then allegedly burned the body in a fire pit behind their home, placed the remains in the bed of his pickup truck, and dumped them in a remote location. He later took the police to the site.
The Watermans were arrested on November 3, 2022.
"This horrific crime resulted in the tragic deaths of two innocent victims," US Attorney Teresa Moore said in a statement last July. "Today's guilty plea holds this defendant accountable for her actions and ensures that justice will be served."
Even though Waterman is already behind bars for life, Benton County prosecutors announced they still planned to pursue the death penalty, largely because Bush's family requested it.
"The worst crimes need to carry the worst punishment, whatever that happens to be," said Benton County Deputy Prosecutor Joshua Robinson.
Waterman's lawyers appealed in October 2024, arguing that charging her again violated double jeopardy laws. But the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled on May 8 that the federal and state cases were based on different crimes - federal kidnapping vs state premeditated murder. The court upheld the decision, allowing the state to proceed with capital murder charges.
