SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A plea change hearing has been set for Amber Waterman, a woman accused of kidnapping and murdering an Arkansas woman and her unborn baby.
After multiple delays, Waterman was set to go on trial alongside her husband, Jamie, on Oct. 21 for their federal case.
Now, court documents filed in federal court on July 2 say that a change of plea hearing is set for July 30 at 11:30 a.m. in Springfield.
Amber is facing charges of causing the death of an unborn child and kidnapping resulting in death, to which she has originally pleaded not guilty.
The couple was indicted for crimes that allegedly led to Ashley Bush and her unborn daughter's death in Pineville, Mo.
The indictment says that on Oct. 31, 2022, Amber kidnapped Bush, who was 31 weeks pregnant, after meeting her online under false pretenses.
Amber reportedly told Bush she would pick her up to bring her to a job interview, but instead kidnapped Bush and brought her to her home in Pineville, Mo.
Amber is accused of killing Bush and her unborn daughter in an attempt to claim the child as her own, even going so far as to allegedly "give birth" to the baby, according to court documents.
The indictment says Jamie assisted Amber after she kidnapped Bush, knowing she'd committed a crime.
No plea change documents or new hearings have been filed in federal court for Jamie at this time.
On top of the federal charges, Amber also faces criminal charges in the state of Arkansas.
Amber has been ordered by the Benton County Prosecutor's Office to appear in court on July 15. To read more about this scheduled appearance, click here.
5NEWS has reached out to Prosecuting Attorney Josh Robinson to ask if this development changes the state's planned court proceedings. He gave the following response:
"I’m not involved in the federal case and don’t know the details of that plea change hearing nor what to expect from it. My plan has been, and remains to be, to prosecute Ms. Waterman here in the Victims’ home county and to seek the death penalty. However, there are certain things that could happen in the federal case that would have severe ramifications on my ability to do that."
"I understand that the federal prosecutors are also trying to do what they believe is best and seeking justice for victims like I am. Things simply become more complicated when multiple jurisdictions are involved."
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