A Missouri woman who previously pleaded not guilty changed her plea Tuesday in a Missouri federal court.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of Missouri, Amber Waterman, 44, pleaded guilty to kidnapping resulting in death and causing the death of a child in utero. She’s now facing a mandatory life sentence without parole.
“This horrific crime resulted in the tragic deaths of two innocent victims,” U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri Teresa Moore said. “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.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Ashley Bush was 31 weeks pregnant when Waterman killed her. Prosecutors said the death occurred near Waterman’s residence on November 3, 2022.
Waterman lured Bush in by using a fake online persona and arranging to help Bush find a job.
On October 31, 2022, Waterman met Bush under the ruse that she was going to introduce her to someone who could help her secure employment.
Bush’s fiancé, Joshua Willis, the baby’s father, dropped Bush off at a convenience store where she met Waterman, and the two women left in the same vehicle together. Bush then texted Willis that she was en route back to the store around 3 p.m.
Willis was waiting at the store when he saw Bush and Waterman pass by in the vehicle. Willis attempted to contact Bush, and his calls were routed to voicemail, leading him to report her missing around 6:30 p.m.
Bush’s body was found two days later near Waterman’s property in Missouri. Her unborn child was found deceased in a separate location.
Waterman had posted photos of an ultrasound months before the abduction, which indicated that she may have been pregnant.
Stephanie Wan, an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri, told the court that the autopsy determined Bush died from trauma in the torso, classifying her death as a homicide.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Wan also emphasized that Waterman was pleading guilty without any plea agreement and that no offer had been made.
Waterman told the judge that she hadn’t been pressured to plea guilty and that she “understood she was waiving her right to a jury trial.”
Meanwhile, Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, is currently behind bars for a federal count of being an accessory after the fact.
Jamie Waterman allegedly admitted to investigators that his wife told him she killed Bush. After confessing to her husband, Amber Waterman directed him to Bush’s body, which was being covered by a tarp. He told police that he helped drag Bush’s body to a fire pit, where his wife set Bush’s body on fire.
His trial is slated to begin on October 21.
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[Feature Photo: Ashley Bush (l) and Amber Waterman (r)/Handout]
