A Missouri woman pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to the kidnapping and murder of a pregnant Arkansas woman and her unborn child.
“This horrific crime resulted in the tragic deaths of two innocent victims,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. “Today’s guilty plea holds this defendant accountable for her actions and ensures that justice will be served. She is now subject to a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison without parole.”
Amber Waterman, 44, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to one count of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of causing the death of a child in utero.
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By pleading guilty, Waterman admitted to kidnapping Ashley Bush to claim her unborn child, Valkyrie Willis, as her own. Waterman transported Bush from Maysville, Arkansas, to Pineville, Missouri. The kidnapping led to the deaths of both Ashley Bush and Valkyrie Willis.
Waterman acknowledged that she had used a false name to contact Bush, who was approximately 31 weeks pregnant, via Facebook. She pretended to help Bush find employment, suggesting she had a job opportunity for her. This led to an in-person meeting between the two women on October 28, 2022, at the Gravette, Arkansas public library. They agreed to meet again on October 31, 2022.
On October 31, 2022, around 11:45 a.m., Bush met Waterman at the Handi-Stop convenience store in Maysville, Arkansas. Under the pretense of taking Bush to meet a job supervisor, Waterman abducted her, driving her to the Waterman residence in Pineville.
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Around 5 p.m. on October 31, 2022, first responders arrived at the Longview store in Pineville for an emergency call regarding a baby who was not breathing. Waterman admitted that she falsely claimed to first responders that she had given birth to the child in the truck while en route to the hospital. In reality, she confessed, the child was Bush’s and had died in utero as a result of Waterman’s kidnapping and subsequent murder of Bush.
An autopsy indicated that Bush died from penetrating trauma to the torso, and her death was classified as a homicide.
Under federal statutes, Waterman faces a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison without parole for each count. The court will determine her sentencing based on advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 15, 2024.
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