SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KNWA/KFTA) — The woman who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murdering a Benton County woman in October 2022 has been sentenced.
Amber Waterman, 44, was given two life sentences without the possibility of parole on Tuesday during a sentencing hearing in Springfield, Mo. The sentences will serve concurrently.
The Pineville, Mo., woman pleaded guilty on July 30 to one count of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of thereby causing the death of a child in utero.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri said in a news release after her plea change that by pleading guilty, Amber Waterman admitted to kidnapping Ashley Bush so she could claim Bush’s unborn child as her own.
Waterman admitted to communicating with Bush over Facebook while using a false name and offered her a job, the release said.
The two met at the public library in Gravette on October 28, 2022, and agreed to meet again three days later.
On October 31, 2022, Bush met Waterman at a convenience store in Maysville “under the pretext that Waterman was taking her to meet a supervisor to further discuss employment,” the release said.
Bush was then kidnapped by Waterman and taken to Waterman’s residence in Pineville, Missouri.
Around 5 p.m., emergency responders went to a store in Pineville for a call about a baby not breathing. Waterman told them she had given birth to the child in the vehicle on the way to the hospital.
“But in reality, she admitted, the child was Bush’s child, who died in utero, as a result of Waterman’s kidnapping that resulted in the death of Bush,” the release said.
Autopsy results showed Bush died as a result of penetrating trauma to her torso and the death was ruled a homicide.
The release said that under federal statutes, Waterman is subject to a mandatory life in federal prison sentence without parole on each count.
KNWA/FOX24’s Kylie Neel and Sonya Hill spoke with Bush’s cousin, Lainey Boone after Waterman was sentenced.
“It’s not fair that she’s still here and Ashley’s not,” Boone said.
Waterman is still facing charges in Benton County. She faces two counts of capital murder and one count of kidnapping.
Benton County Prosecutor Joshua Robinson gave the following statement after Waterman’s sentence was announced.
“It was my understanding that Life was the only possible sentence. That being the case, the sentence was expected. I am glad that the Defendant has received some level of accountability and that the family of the victims is one step closer to finality in the criminal justice system. Hopefully, the State of Arkansas in general, and Benton County in particular, will finally be allowed to seek justice for two of our own that were taken in a deeply brutal and tragic way.”
Robinson previously said the state is seeking the death penalty against Waterman. However, that case is on hold due to double jeopardy.
Amber’s husband Jamie is set to have a plea change hearing at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
This is a developing story. Stay with KNWA/FOX24 for the latest.
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