Change of plea set for Pineville man for role in kidnapping, murder of Arkansas woman

A 1:30 p.m. October 15 change of plea hearing is scheduled in U. S. District Court in Springfield for Jamie Waterman, 44, Pineville, who is charged with two counts of being an accessory after the fact to the kidnapping and murder of an Arkansas woman.

Waterman's wife, Amber Waterman, 44, Pineville, pleaded guilty July 30 to kidnapping and murder.

Amber Waterman's crime was detailed in the news release from the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri:

Amber Waterman, 44, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to one count of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of thereby causing the death of a child in utero.

By pleading guilty, Waterman admitted that she kidnapped Ashley Bush in order to claim her unborn child, Valkyrie Willis, as her own. Waterman transported Ashley Bush from Maysville, Ark., to Pineville. The kidnapping resulted in the deaths of both Ashley Bush and Valkyrie Willis.

Waterman admitted that, using a false name, she began having contact via Facebook with Bush, who was approximately 31 weeks pregnant. Waterman pretended to help Bush obtain employment, suggesting she had a job opportunity for her. That prompted an in-person meeting between the two women on Oct. 28, 2022, at the Gravette, Ark., public library. They agreed to meet again on Oct. 31, 2022.

On Oct. 31, 2022, at roughly 11:45 a.m., Bush met Waterman at the Handi-Stop convenience store in Maysville, Ark. Under the pretext that Waterman was taking her to meet a supervisor to further discuss employment, Bush got into a truck driven by Waterman. Waterman then kidnapped and abducted Bush, driving her from Maysville to the Waterman residence in Pineville.

At about 5 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2022, first responders reported to the Longview store in Pineville for an emergency call of a baby who was not breathing. Waterman admitted that she claimed to first responders that she had given birth to the child in the truck while 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.

An autopsy indicated that Bush died as a result of penetrating trauma of the torso and her death was classified as a homicide.

The indictment against Jamie Waterman alleges he assisted Amber Waterman, in order to hinder and prevent her apprehension, trial, and punishment, knowing she had committed the offense of kidnapping resulting in death, according to the news release.