Missouri woman who killed pregnant woman, tried to cut fetus from womb and claim baby, sentenced to life in prison

Amber Waterman, a 44-year-old woman from Missouri, was sentenced to life in prison for the horrific kidnapping and murder of a 33-year-old pregnant woman, Ashley Bush, along with her unborn child.

Waterman’s plot involved a scheme to steal the victim’s baby and claim it as her own, leading to a tragedy that has shocked the community.

U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough handed down two consecutive life sentences for Waterman in federal court on Tuesday, ensuring she will spend the rest of her life behind bars with no possibility of parole.

The case revolves around the gruesome events of 2022, when Waterman kidnapped Bush, who was 31 weeks pregnant, with the intention of taking her unborn child.

Waterman pleaded guilty in July to two federal charges – kidnapping resulting in death and causing the death of a child in utero. Her husband, Jamie Waterman, was also involved in the crime and has been charged as an accessory after the fact. He pleaded guilty to assisting in covering up the crime, admitting his knowledge of his wife’s actions.

The disturbing series of events began when Amber Waterman, using a fake name “Lucy,” contacted Bush through Facebook under the guise of offering a job opportunity.

Waterman lured the expectant mother by pretending to help her secure a work-from-home position. The two women met in person on Oct. 28, 2022, for an interview at a public library in Gravette, Arkansas, where Waterman continued to deceive Bush about the job opportunity.

On Oct. 31, 2022, Waterman arranged to meet Bush again, this time at a Handi-Stop convenience store in Maysville, Arkansas. Bush, believing she was going to meet a potential supervisor, got into Waterman’s truck, where she was kidnapped and taken to Waterman’s residence in Pineville, Missouri.

Later that day, at around 5 p.m., first responders were called to a Longview store in Pineville for an emergency involving a newborn who wasn’t breathing. Waterman falsely claimed that she had given birth to the child while en route to the hospital, but in reality, the baby was Bush’s child, who had died in utero as a result of the kidnapping.

The details of Bush’s murder are deeply distressing. An autopsy revealed that she died from “penetrating trauma of the torso,” with authorities confirming that Waterman had shot her and then used a knife in an attempt to remove the unborn baby from Bush’s womb. After killing Bush, Waterman tried to burn the body to cover up the crime.

Amber Waterman’s sentencing is just one chapter in this legal saga. In addition to the federal charges, she faces multiple state charges, including two counts of capital murder and one count of kidnapping in Benton County, Arkansas.

TOP STORIES

• Dad arrested for murder after chasing down and killing his 14-year-old daughter’s rapist
• Idaho teacher raped a teen boy and made him drive her car because she was too drunk
• Teacher, 51, caught raping a teen boy in an uncompleted building

Joshua Robinson, the prosecuting attorney for Benton County, has stated his intention to seek the death penalty for Waterman in state court.

This case continues to unfold as justice is sought for the brutal murder of Ashley Bush and her unborn daughter, whom Bush had planned to name Valkyrie Willis.