SPRINGFIELD, Missouri (NV) – A Missouri woman pleaded guilty to kidnapping and killing a pregnant woman in Arkansas to steal her baby, prosecutors announced, according to the AP on Thursday, August 1.
Amber Waterman, 44, of Pineville, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Springfield, Missouri to kidnapping with intent to kill and murder of an unborn child. Waterman faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole, federal prosecutor Teresa Moore said. She will be sentenced Oct. 15.
In her plea agreement, Waterman admitted to using a false name to contact Ashley Bush, 33, of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, on Facebook. Bush was 31 weeks pregnant at the time.
Ms. Waterman and Ms. Bush agreed to meet at a grocery store in Arkansas on October 31, 2022, which Ms. Waterman falsely said was to help Ms. Bush find a job. Instead, Ms. Waterman drove Ms. Bush to her home in Pineville.
Hours later, paramedics arrived at Waterman’s home after receiving reports that the baby had stopped breathing. The baby was pronounced dead. Waterman initially said she had given birth to the baby. In her plea agreement, she admitted that the baby was Bush’s. Bush had three other children.
Ms. Bush’s body was found elsewhere. Authorities in Arkansas determined that Ms. Bush had been shot to death, but police and prosecutors have refused to say how the child died.
Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, has been charged with accessory after allegedly helping to dispose of Bush’s body. He is scheduled to go on trial in October. (Th.Long)