State prosecutors will be allowed to continue Amber Waterman’s capital murder trial, who is currently serving two consecutive life sentences for kidnapping and murdering a pregnant woman in 2022 after luring her with a false job offer.
The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled this week that Benton County prosecutors can continue their trial against Waterman, 45, after her defense attorneys argued that she has already been convicted on federal charges and that being tried again at the state level would be double jeopardy, according to KHBS, KARK, and CBS 5 News.
“We’re disappointed that the Supreme Court did not agree with our arguments,” Waterman’s attorney, Jeff Rosenzweig, told KHBS.
Waterman received two consecutive life sentences last year after being convicted of kidnapping and murdering Ashley Bush, 33. Bush, who was pregnant, was persuaded to meet Waterman at her car in a convenience store parking lot after Waterman contacted her on Facebook, promising to give her clothes suitable for an expectant mother as well as a job offer.
PEOPLE previously reported that after Waterman killed Bush, she removed her child from her body and called 911, claiming that the baby died while she was giving birth in her truck on her way to a local hospital.
According to previous federal complaints obtained by PEOPLE, Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, told detectives his wife confessed to killing Bush, and the couple later burned and dumped her body in a remote area. According to the affidavits, Jamie led police to the location where they dumped Bush’s charred remains.
In a press release issued last July, the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri stated that Waterman confessed to killing both Bush and her baby.
“This horrific crime resulted in the tragic deaths of two innocent victims,” United States Attorney Teresa Moore stated at the time. “Today’s guilty plea holds this defendant accountable for her actions and ensures that justice will be served.”
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PEOPLE reported in October that Waterman is currently serving consecutive life sentences without parole.
Benton County prosecutors announced this week that they intend to seek the death penalty, in part because Bush’s family has requested it. According to KHBS, Benton County Deputy Prosecutor Joshua Robinson believes that “the worst crimes deserve the worst punishment, whatever that may be.”
