BENTON COUNTY, AR – Amber Waterman, a 45-year-old woman from Arkansas, will face the death penalty after her appeal to halt state murder charges was denied by the state’s Supreme Court. The charges stem from a gruesome 2022 incident where Waterman lured a pregnant woman into a deadly trap, intending to claim the unborn child as her own.

The court ruled that despite her federal kidnapping convictions, which resulted in two life sentences without parole, the state is permitted to pursue separate murder charges. The ruling clarified that different elements are required to prove murder under Arkansas law compared to the federal kidnapping charges, therefore double jeopardy does not apply.

In a chilling scheme, Waterman contacted Ashley Bush, 33, under the alias “Lucy” via social media, enticing her with a fake job opportunity. Waterman convinced Bush to meet in person for what she described as an interview in Gravette, Arkansas.

Bush, who was 31 weeks pregnant, was deceived into a final meeting on October 31, 2022, at a convenience store in Maysville. Under the guise of taking her to meet a potential employer, Waterman drove Bush to her home in Pineville, resulting in the tragic deaths of Bush and her unborn daughter, whom Bush had named Valkyrie Grace Willis.

Waterman later falsely claimed to first responders that she had given birth during a drive to the hospital. However, it was revealed that the newborn was actually Bush’s child, who perished due to the violent confrontation provoked by Waterman’s actions.

An autopsy concluded that Bush died from “penetrating trauma of the torso,” with Waterman allegedly inflicting the wound. Authorities assert that she then used a knife in a failed attempt to retrieve the unborn child and attempted to incinerate Bush’s body to conceal her crime.

Prosecutors in Benton County intend to seek the death penalty upon Waterman’s state trial for premeditated murder charges. Documents filed recently highlight ongoing legal maneuvers by Waterman’s defense, including a request for a mental evaluation and an attempt to exclude references to federal proceedings during the state trial.

These efforts come as Waterman prepares for a pivotal pretrial hearing set for July 7. The trial is expected to further explore the harrowing details of the case, as well as condemnations of Waterman’s calculated and brutal actions against Ashley Bush and her unborn child.