In a terrible case from Missouri, a 44-year-old woman named A. Waterman will serve two life sentences without the chance of release for kidnapping and killing an Arkansas woman who was 33 years old and her unborn child.
The punishments were given by Judge S. Bough on Tuesday. This was the end of a disturbing crime that shocked people in both Missouri and Arkansas.
Waterman admitted in July that he had taken someone hostage and killed them, as well as killing a baby while it was still in the womb. These federal charges come from a horrible event that happened in 2022.
Waterman planned an attack to kidnap the 33-year-old woman and try to take her unborn child by force.
This case goes back to October 2022, when Waterman made a bad plan to take A. Bush by saying she had a job opening for her.
Federal authorities say Waterman used the name “Lucy” and contacted Bush on social media, saying she could help her get a job while Bush was 31 weeks pregnant. They talked online, which led to a meeting in person on October 28, 2022, at a public library.
Waterman suggested a job that could be done from home. On October 31, the tragedy got worse when Bush met Waterman at a convenience store.
They thought they were going to meet a boss to talk about Waterman’s new job. Instead, Waterman took Bush hostage and took her to a remote area.
Later that same day, emergency workers were called to a store because a baby was not breathing. Police say Waterman lied when they asked her if she had given birth in her truck on the way to the hospital.
It turned out that the child was Bush’s and died in the womb because of Waterman’s acts, which caused Bush’s death. The horrible details of the crime were found during the probe that followed.
Bush had been shot and had “penetrating trauma of the torso,” according to the police. Then, Waterman tried desperately to take the unborn child from the victim’s belly and claim it as his own. She also tried to hide what she did by setting Bush’s body on fire.
U.S. Attorney T. Moore said he was very sorry about the deaths and stressed how serious the crime was and how the plea would bring justice to the families of the victims.
Waterman’s husband, J. Waterman, has been charged with one federal count of being an accomplice to a crime that led to death. That was just a few days before his trial, which is set to start on October 21.
The 44-year-old woman will also face more judicial problems at the state level.
Arkansas’s prosecuting attorney, J. Robinson, said he was going to bring Waterman’s case to state court and ask for the death sentence. She is also being charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of theft.
The neighborhood is still reeling from how horrible this crime was. People are more aware of how much lying and violence one person can do to another because of this case, which has had a lasting effect on the community and the families concerned.
As the case moves to state court for more work, many people are still looking for justice for Bush and her unborn child, whose lives were cruelly and tragically cut short.
