Amber Waterman to serve two consecutive life sentences for woman’s murder

UPDATE 10/15/2024 — The Missouri woman accused of kidnapping and killing a pregnant woman and her unborn child will serve two life sentences.

A federal judge has sentenced Amber Waterman to life in prison for each of the two charges against her (kidnapping resulting in death and causing the death of an unborn child). Each sentence will be served consecutively.

Amber Waterman was also ordered to pay $105,000 in restitution.

Inside the courtroom, the judge said he couldn’t impose a sentence that would be sufficient in this case, saying Amber Waterman’s crime was a “new level of graphic.”

Prosecutors also spoke during the proceedings and said the pain caused by Amber Waterman would span generations, while her defense attorneys declined to speak, saying they preferred not to due to the pending case against Amber Waterman in Arkansas.

Family members of Ashley Bush spoke during the sentencing hearing, including one relative who said she prayed that “suffering comes back tenfold” to Amber Waterman, and another who said she is the “face of Satan” and “has a black soul.”

Amber Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, appeared in federal court today for a plea change hearing, where he pleaded guilty to one count of being an accessory of kidnapping resulting in death.

Jamie Waterman has not yet been sentenced.

Original story:

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The woman accused of kidnapping and murdering a Benton County, Arkansas woman in 2022 will be sentenced in federal court tomorrow.

Court records show Amber Waterman pleaded guilty in July to kidnapping resulting in death and causing the death of an unborn child. Amber Waterman will appear for sentencing at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Her co-defendant and husband, Jamie, will also appear that day at 1:30 p.m. for a change of plea hearing.

A release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri said that by pleading guilty, Amber Waterman admitted to kidnapping Ashley Bush so she could claim Bush’s unborn child as her own.

Autopsy results showed Bush died as a result of penetrating trauma to her torso and the death was ruled a homicide.

“Under federal statutes, Waterman is subject to a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison without parole on each count,” the press release said.

An indictment said in October 2022, Jamie Waterman helped Amber Waterman after she kidnapped Bush , knowing his wife had committed a crime. He is charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to kidnapping resulting in death.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR - OzarksFirst.com.