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Monday, September 5th, 2011
12:21 am [foxbase]	Rachelle is free on bond pending appeal Here's the latest... August 29, 2011: Waterman free on bond, pending appeal in death of her mother; was to report to jail Friday JUNEAU, Alaska — An Alaska woman convicted of criminally negligent homicide in the death of her mother will not be reporting to jail to begin her sentence Friday. Rachelle Waterman's attorney, Steven Wells, said Monday that a state court judge granted Waterman's request earlier this month to remain free on bond, pending an appeal. Waterman was a teenager in 2004 when she was accused of conspiring to kill her mother, Lauri Waterman. A 2006 trial ended in a hung jury. She was retried earlier this year and acquitted of conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder. She was convicted of criminally negligent homicide, and sentenced to three years in prison. She was to receive credit for time served. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 19th, 2011
9:36 pm [foxbase]	rachelle sentence to 3 years After all this... July 15, 2011: Rachelle Waterman sentenced to three years for involvement in mother’s murder Rachelle Waterman was sentenced to three years for criminally negligent homicide in the death of her mother Lauri Waterman, 48, in 2004. Doc Waterman stated his daughter was guilty only of bad boyfriend choices, had suffered enough, and has to live with the death of her mother for the rest of her life. State prosecuting attorney Steve West asked for a flat time of five years to serve for the murder of Lauri Waterman, 48, in the small Southeast town of Craig on Prince of Wales Island in 2004. Waterman had previously been in jail 479 days leading up to her first trial. Defense attorney Stephen Wells stated that the time she has already served was appropriate for the conviction Waterman received in a retrial decision in February of 2011. Waterman’s first trial, in 2006, resulted in a hung jury. Two former boyfriends, Jason Arrant, of Klawock, and Brian Radel, of Thorne Bay, both 24 at the time, confessed to the murder. Judge William Carey, stated this is the end, hopefully, of a long road for the Waterman family and the community of Craig. Criminally negligent homicide is a class B felony with a presumptive range of one to three years with no prior criminal history. Waterman has no priors but an aggravator was found that the crime was one of domestic violence as it involved a member of the household. Wells had argued for a mitigator of Waterman being a juvenile at the time of the murder. Carey stated that, although just 16-years-old at the time of her mother’s murder, Waterman should have known better. He said Waterman should have known that voicing her troublesome homelife and wishes associated with her mother with Arrant and Radel would result in their actions. Carey stated it was hard to find words when describing Radel and Arrant, calling Radel a sociopathic murder who deserved every second of his 99-year sentence. He went on to describe Arrant as a pathetic dolt that spent way to much time alone playing on a computer and living in a fantasy world. “The problem is that Ms. Waterman knew that,” Carey said. “She has more intelligence in her little finger than Mr. Arrant.” Waterman is required to report to confinement by September 2. Carey also said probation is not required as Waterman is a perfect case for rehabilitation. He said isolation was not a concern as she was not a menace. He also stated that community condemnation and societal norms required time be served even after such a lengthy passage since the murder. “Deterrence does play a role,” Carey said. “I understand Ms. Waterman feels remorse. She wouldn’t be human if she didn’t.” Wells said they will appeal the sentencing and stated Waterman would be a perfect candidate for ankle bracelet monitoring. July 16, 2011: Rachelle Waterman sentenced to three years in prison for role in mother's murder Father asked for time served and state asked for five years Rachelle Waterman was sentenced in Craig Superior Court on Friday to three years for criminally negligent homicide in the death of her mother, 48-year-old Lauri Waterman, whose body was found in the small Southeast town on Prince of Wales Island in 2004. Presiding Superior Court Judge William Carey, from Ketchikan, listened to victim statements and final arguments before reaching a decision. Defense Attorney Stephen Wells said they would appeal the sentence. He also said that the lack of criminal history and the conviction make Waterman a perfect candidate for ankle bracelet monitoring. Wells stated that time already served was appropriate for the conviction Waterman received in a retrial decision in February of 2011. State prosecuting attorney Steve West had asked for a flat time of five years to serve for the murder. “It is clearly a serious crime,” West said. “Her mother was brutally murdered. It occurred over a three-month period. It wasn’t a spontaneous, one-time incident or situation.” Waterman had previously been in jail 473 days leading up through her first trial in 2006 that resulted in a hung jury. Two former boyfriends, Jason Arrant, of Klawock, and Brian Radel, of Thorne Bay, both 24 at the time, confessed to the murder and testified against Waterman. Radel agreed to a sentence up to the maximum 99 years for first-degree murder, Arrant agreed to plead guilty with a cap of 50 years. In retrial, Waterman had been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, kidnapping, burglary in the first degree, attempted murder in the first degree, and criminally negligent homicide. “I disagree with the state fundamentally, factually that Miss Waterman kept going about this for several months,” Wells said. “Instead, judge, this is what I think, and this was Mr. Radel’s opinion… we are here because Jason Arrant wanted Rachelle Waterman and he viewed Lauri Waterman as the obstacle.” Rachelle Waterman apologized through tears to the court, the community of Craig and her family. “I never thought anything like this could happen,” Rachelle Waterman said. “I never thought my teenage difficulties with my mother would result in such tragedy. I never wanted my mother dead, but I know regardless of my intent, my wishes, if I hadn’t associated with those men we wouldn’t be here today. If I hadn’t shared those things about my mom we wouldn’t be here today. And if I hadn’t said those things to Jason Arrant we wouldn’t be here today. I am going to have to live with that. Even though I didn’t want this, even though I didn’t think they would ever do it, and even though I told them no, this is my fault.” Lauri Waterman’s sister, brother, and sister-in-law listened to the proceedings telephonically. Doc Waterman told the court that his daughter was guilty only of bad boyfriend choices, had suffered enough and has to live with the death of her mother for the rest of her life. “I have seen Rachelle Waterman express extreme remorse for her choice of boyfriends, for telling exaggerated stories of abuse by her mother, and for failing to recognize that Jason Arrant was prepared to act upon his fantasies of removing her mother from her life so he could have unfettered access to Rachelle,” Doc Waterman read from a prepared statement. “There were points she was wishing harm upon herself for having been so naïve as to fail (to see) that real harm could come to her mother. The loss of Lauri Waterman was a blow to the Prince of Wales Island community. It is unfortunate that the investigators in the case immediately began to release suspicions and misinformation to the news media, the result of this was that many people in the community that loved and respected Lauri Waterman took the information presented, accepted it as fact, and condemned Rachelle without knowing the truth or falsity of the allegations.” Doc Waterman stated his daughter had spent 15 months in jail and the terms of her probation are nearly like conditions of parole. “The only crime she is guilty of is failing to recognize that her boyfriend would actually commit murder,” Doc Waterman said. “I believe that she has already served a sentence greater than her crime warrants. I believe it is only fair to allow her to get on with her life.” Waterman also said his daughter was barely into her junior year of high school when the crime occurred, has lost most of her friends and support of the island community, and has had threats made against her safety. He said that she completed her GED and successfully completed college courses while in Lemon Creek Correctional Center and when out enrolled in a junior college and took two jobs. Judge Carey stated that this was the end, hopefully, of a long road for the Waterman family, the people off this island community, for the attorneys that have been involved in the case. “It has been a difficult road for everyone,” Carey said. “It’s an emotional case, it’s a tough case. It presents some unique questions of law, some unique questions of fact, and we are here today to sentence Miss Waterman, who is now 22 years old, for something that happened when she was 16, under some terrible and unusual circumstances.” Carey stated that the word horrific barely evenly described the kind of case and circumstances in which this case arose and praised the Anchorage jury that spent more than a month involved in the trial. “Their ultimate verdict in this case was that Miss Waterman did not intend the death of her mother,” Carey said. “That is reflected in the fact that she was acquitted on all the charges with the exception of the final count, criminally negligent homicide. It meant that Miss Waterman was negligent, not that she intended this crime, but that it was reasonably foreseeable that her acts would cause this crime.” Waterman has no priors, but an aggravator was found that the crime was one of domestic violence, as it involved a member of the household. Wells had argued for a mitigator of Waterman being a juvenile at the time of the murder. Carey stated that, although just 16-years-old at the time, Waterman should have known that voicing her troublesome home life and wishes associated with her mother with Arrant and Radel would result in their actions. Carey said he had trouble controlling his language when he thinks about Radel and Arrant. Carey said he sat next to Radel during his chilling testimony when Radel described the night of the murder in detail. “He is a sociopath,” Carey said. “He’s a murderer. He deserves every second of the 99 years he received.” Carey said he agreed with Wells to a great degree on Arrant, calling him the connection between Waterman and Radel. “It was Mr. Arrant who largely sought the result which was finally achieved,” Carey said. “He is a pathetic dolt. He had an obsession with Miss Waterman. He spent way to much time alone playing with his computer dealing in a fantasy world that was all his own.” Continued Carey, “The problem is that I believe Ms. Waterman understood that and knew that. Miss Waterman as a student here in Craig and since this event has proven herself to be a highly intelligent young lady and motivated person. But for this three or four month period in her life that resulted and was the cause of the death of her mother. She has more intelligence in her little finger than Jason Arrant does, I have no doubt about that.” Carey said the defendant’s intelligence was the problem, as she was a manipulator to some degree and knew that there was a distinct possibility something would happen to her mother. Carey cited the term “hunting trip” that all three used describing a prior attempt on Waterman’s mother that had Radel hiding in the bushes across from Craig High School waiting for Lauri Waterman. That attack did not happen because Radel forgot a bolt to attach the barrel to the stock of the rifle. But Waterman wrote in a letter to Arrant that she intended to take a “hunting trip” herself. Carey read another letter from Waterman to Arrant that said, “Actually I wish I could live with you. It consumes most of my thoughts. It will happen one day. Hopefully not long after Vball. I am actually hoping my dad goes off his rocker and I can have reason for emancipation.” Waterman was on a school trip to a high school volleyball tournament the night of the murder. Carey said Waterman was “manipulating two of the biggest losers on this island.” Carey stated the crime, if charged along without the more serious crimes of conspiracy, would have been tried in juvenile court and the state not having authority to do anything past a juvenile delinquent’s 20th birthday. “That is why we are still here in a so called adult court,” Carey said. “And I am applying statutes that apply to adults in this case.” Carey also said probation is not required as Waterman is a perfect case for rehabilitation. He said isolation was not a concern as she was not a menace. He also stated that deterrence for others, community condemnation and societal norms required time be served even after such a lengthy passage since the murder. Carey imposed three years flat time, taking into account the prosecution’s aggregating factor of a crime of domestic violence and weighing it against the defense’s mitigating motions for juvenile court. Waterman is required to report to confinement in Juneau by Sept. 2. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, February 18th, 2011
2:15 pm [foxbase]	the verdict is in Took awhile but the verdict is in.. February 17, 2011: Rachelle Waterman Convicted of Criminally Negligent Homicide After her first trial in Juneau resulted in a hung jury, an Anchorage jury has convicted Rachelle Waterman of criminally negligent homicide in the death of her mother. The Craig woman was found not guilty on eight out of nine charges ranging from kidnapping to second-degree murder. Throughout the two-week trial, the prosecution claimed Rachelle Waterman manipulated Jason Arrant, an ex-boyfriend, to kill Lauri Waterman, her mother, back in 2004; Rachelle was just 16 years old. During closing arguments on Wednesday, both prosecution and defense painted a very different picture of Waterman. The prosecution claimed Waterman manipulated Arrant to kill her mother and even knew it was going to happen but did nothing to stop it. The defense insisted Waterman didn't think Arrant would follow through and commit the crime and therefore she had no idea Arrant would actually kill her mother. Waterman was found not guilty on the following charges: murder conspiracy, first- and second-degree murder, kidnapping, first-degree burglary, vehicle theft, tampering with evidence and attempted murder. Her father, Carl "Doc" Waterman says his daughter should never have been put on trial in the first place. Rachelle Waterman could be sentenced to time served. She already spent a year and a few months in an Alaska correctional facility. Her maximum would be 10 years. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, February 11th, 2011
12:57 pm [foxbase]	jury deliberations begin Jury deliberations have begun... Friday, February 11, 2011: Jury begins deliberations in Waterman trial ANCHORAGE — Rachelle Waterman’s lawyer sent jurors off Wednesday with his own set of instructions for evaluating the evidence in the murder conspiracy trial: Question a former boyfriend’s statements to police that would connect her to her mother’s brutal murder. Lawyer Steven Wells asked jurors if it was more likely that a 16-year-old with usual mother-daughter struggles would conspire to murder her mother with two men she had been sexually involved with, or that an overweight, sexually inexperienced overweight man living in his mother’s basement would kill to remove the one person that he believed stood in the way of his relationship with the teen. “There is nothing to suggest the hatred she would have to kill her mother,” Wells said, as the evidence phase of the 13-day trial ended. “The plan was between Jason and Brian to get rid of Lauri so Jason would have unfettered access to Rachelle.” He pointed to a letter from Lauri Waterman found in Rachelle’s nightstand as proof that she did not want her mother dead. The letter begins with, “My dearest daughter,” and goes on to apologize for tensions between the two. The mother says she wishes her daughter could understand how much she’s loved. Prosecutor Jean Seaton turned the jury’s attention to statements Waterman made to get Arrant and Radel to get them worked up enough to kill for her. She told Arrant, who then told Radel, that her mother beat her with a baseball bat, tried to push her down the stairs and told her she was fat and withheld food, according to the prosecution. These were cruel, vindictive lies about a person who actually was a beloved member of the community, Seaton said. “There is the proof of her dislike of her mother,” she said. Wells described Arrant as a snitch intent on trying to salvage what was left of his own life by telling police what they wanted to hear. Arrant told police the girl wanted her mother killed and knew a plan was in the works the weekend she was at a volleyball tournament in Anchorage and her father was in Juneau, leaving Lauri Waterman alone in the home. Wells said troopers squeezed statements out of the 16-year-old until they heard what they wanted. According to prosecutors, Waterman disliked her mother and the feeling intensified when she became a rebellious teenager and began smoking, drinking and sneaking out at night. She matured early and became sexually active and had several boyfriends, including the two 24-year-old men. Radel introduced Waterman to Arrant when their relationship didn’t work out. But Lauri Waterman objected to the age difference and didn’t want her daughter dating Arrant. Seaton said the teen resented her mother’s control over her and used the false stories of abuse to manipulate the situation. While she didn’t know the details of the plot to kill her mother, she knew the men planned to carry out the plan that weekend, the prosecutor said. “This wasn’t just a juvenile fantasy. It wasn’t just joking around,” Seaton said. “Our words and deeds have consequences. In this case, the words and deeds of Ms. Waterman had terrible consequences.” February 4, 2011: Witness says police officer lied on stand in Waterman murder conspiracy trial ANCHORAGE — A former trooper testifying for the defense in the Rachelle Waterman murder conspiracy trial said Friday a Craig police officer who worked on the case told her that he lied on the witness stand during defendant’s first trial. Anna Goemer said in an Anchorage courtroom that Craig Police Chief Mark Habib told her in 2007 that he lied about who took photos connected to the murder of Waterman’s slain mother, Lauri Waterman. Habib was a sergeant when he worked on the November 2004 murder. On Friday, Waterman told Superior Court Judge William Carey she would not be taking the witness stand. Waterman did not testify in her first trial, either. Habib, who testified earlier in the second trial, did not immediately respond to a call for comment late Friday. Earlier this week, jurors also heard a recorded interview between Habib and Jason Arrant conducted after Arrant and Brian Radel were identified as main suspects in the killing of the 48-year-old woman. In the interview, Arrant said Waterman wanted her mother dead and knew it was going to happen. Rachelle Waterman and her father were out of town the weekend Lauri Waterman was killed. On the stand Friday, Goemer said she knew Habib from their academy days and had considered him a friend, saying the friendship ended because of his admission. She said she wrote two e-mails about it to prosecutor Stephen West, who tried the first case and is one of the prosecutors in the current trial. Goemer said she never heard back from the state, so she contacted defense attorney Steven Wells, who called her as a defense witness. “Does it bother you that he admitted to lying under oath?” Wells asked. “It bothered me a lot,” Goemer said. Wells asked if Habib ever bragged that he could get a confession out of anyone, to which Goemer replied, “Yes, he was pretty proud of himself.” Under questioning from prosecutor Jean Seaton, Goemer said she filed complaints about several other officers when she was an officer at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Seaton also pointed to a copy of one of the e-mails Goemer sent to West, reading an excerpt that stated, “Just so you know, I think my therapist thinks my stress has impaired my memories and perceptions for several months, so my information may not be accurate.” In response to Goemer’s testimony, however, Seaton said the prosecution will obtain Goemer’s officer complaint records and mental health files. Seaton said the prosecution also could be calling rebuttal witnesses. In other testimony Friday, a clinical child psychologist who evaluated Rachelle Waterman in the months following her mother's death said she was traumatized from an early age. Dr. Marty Beyer listed three contributing factors to the trauma: early sexual development, being raped by a stranger at age 13, and the disapproval of her mother, Lauri Waterman. Rachelle Waterman told the doctor her mother didn't believe her claim that she had been attacked and raped on her way home one night. Her father said Waterman became estranged from her mother that year, and tension continued to build the summer before Lauri Waterman's murder. As a result of Rachelle Waterman’s trauma and general teenage immaturity, Beyer says she sought approval and was easily flattered by older men, namely Arrant and Brian Radel -- the men convicted of killing her mother in 2004. According to Beyer, Waterman felt she was simply venting to Arrant when she said she wished her mother was dead or gone. Beyer says it's common for adolescents to fantasize about hurting someone while never intending to act on those emotions. "Rachelle didn't understand the dangers of dating older men," Beyer said. "She dismissed Jason‘s ideas (to murder Lauri Waterman) as stupid fantasies." (Comment on this)
Monday, January 31st, 2011
10:38 am [foxbase]	the latest trial updates Here's the latest... January 24, 2011: Second Waterman murder trial opens The second murder trial of a woman accused of conspiring to kill her mother got under way in Anchorage on Monday. Prosecutors say Waterman plotted her mother’s death to get back at her for years of physical and emotional abuse, and they contend she asked her former boyfriend, Jason Arrant, to kill her mother, Lauri Waterman. Arrant and a friend, Brian Radel, plead guilty to killing Lauri Waterman while Rachelle Waterman was out of town with her father. After several failed attempts, Arrant and Radel suffocated Lauri Waterman, put her body in a car and rolled it down a remote hillside. They then set the vehicle on fire. Though both men pleaded guilty to killing Lauri Waterman, the defense says police led the men during the interrogation to implicate Rachelle Waterman. The defense also contends that Rachelle Waterman knew about the plan, but that she called it off. The prosecutor’s first witness will take the stand on Tuesday. January 26, 2011: One Waterman killer won't testify in daughter's murder retrial Jason Arrant, who pleaded guilty to killing Rachelle Waterman's mother and testified at Waterman's first murder trial, refused to testify today in her retrial. Wednesday morning update: Jason Arrant refused to testify this morning in the murder retrial of Rachelle Waterman. He pleaded guilty to murdering Waterman's mother, Lauri, and testified at Waterman's first trial but said he was taking a stand now. A second man, Brian Radel, who also pleaded guilty in the murder, has agreed to testify and is doing so this morning. On the Monday after her mother went missing, Rachelle Waterman told a teacher, a school counselor and a school administrator at Craig High School that she wondered if her mother had been drinking and had driven off a road, witnesses testified on Tuesday. Lauri Waterman, 48, seldom drank more than a couple of sips of wine, maybe a bit more if a friend wanted to drink with her, according to testimony Tuesday from Carl "Doc" Waterman, Rachelle's father and a widower since his wife, Lauri, was murdered early on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2004. The men botched the staged drunken driving crash, Ketchikan District Attorney Stephen West has told jurors. One man ultimately suffocated Lauri Waterman, then they set her minivan on fire with her body in it on a remote logging road on Prince of Wales Island, where Craig is located, West said. Scott McDonald, the hunter who found the smoldering van that Nov. 14, testified Tuesday that he could see bones inside it. The van wasn't identified as Lauri Waterman's until the next day. TALKING AT SCHOOL But at school that Monday morning, Waterman didn't know the details. She was in Anchorage at a volleyball tournament when her mother was murdered. Before school began, all Craig school employees were told at a hastily called staff meeting that Lauri Waterman was missing, Shane Westfall told jurors Tuesday. She was a teacher's aide at the elementary school and well known in the community for her volunteer work. Doc Waterman was the school board president. Waterman was the first kid in the gym that morning for Westfall's 8 a.m. lifetime sports class, he said. "I went over to her and asked her if she was OK," Westfall testified under questioning by West. "I'm fine," she told him. He asked if she was sure. "She said, 'Yeah my mom probably got drunk and ran off the road someplace,' " Westfall told jurors. How was her demeanor? West asked. Normal, Westfall answered. SNEAKING AROUND Doc Waterman has been in the courtroom every day, sitting behind his daughter and putting his arm around her when they walk out after the court day ends. On Tuesday, he moved from the spectator benches to the witness box. Wearing a green blazer and maroon tie and using a court headset to aid his hearing, Waterman talked about challenges raising Rachelle and about those hours when his wife was missing. He's a real estate broker, not a physician. He got the nickname "Doc" in high school and it stuck, he said. He said Lauri was stricter on Rachelle than he was on some things but he never saw any evidence she hit their daughter and Rachelle never told him about anything like that. Neither of them used physical punishment, Waterman said under questioning by prosecutor Jean Seaton of Sitka. Other witnesses have testified that Rachelle told them her mother tried to push her down the stairs, became angry if her grades slipped, and withheld food, telling her she was fat. Prosecutors say she told even more to Jason Arrant and Brian Radel, the men who carried out the killing. Lauri Waterman was a strict Catholic and was upset when Waterman began experimenting with Wicca, a pagan religion and form of witchcraft, Doc Waterman said. By late fall 2004, the parents found out Rachelle was seeing Arrant, and trying to keep it from them, Waterman testified. Arrant was so much older and worked as a janitor at the Klawock school, which concerned Lauri. "There's nothing wrong with being a janitor but my wife had the impression that he had no desire to go any farther," Waterman testified. A couple of times that fall, the parents caught Rachelle sneaking back into the house in the early morning. The second time, she was grounded for a month, Waterman said. LAURI WASN'T HOME The weekend his wife was killed, Doc Waterman was in Juneau for a meeting. When he and Rachelle got back to Craig around 3 or 3:30 that Sunday afternoon, Lauri and the minivan were gone. He didn't think too much of it at first. His wife was always volunteering and helping friends. Her last weekend alive, she had helped set up the Prince of Wales Chamber of Commerce annual awards banquet. Eventually he went looking for her. Around 8 p.m., he called Craig police asking about car crashes and mentioned that Lauri and the van were missing. On Monday afternoon, Craig Police Chief Jim See came to the house and told him they had found a burned out van, and confirmed it was the family's. There was a body in it. "I told Chief See that we would have to assume that was Lauri's body," Doc Waterman said, speaking matter-of-factly. Arrant and Radel are scheduled to testify Wednesday. Both pleaded guilty to the murder and are serving long prison sentences. January 26th, 2011: Ex claims Waterman never asked him to kill mother ANCHORAGE, Alaska - One of the two men serving a prison term for murdering Lauri Waterman, supposedly at the behest of her daughter, testified Wednesday that the daughter never directly told him to kill her. Instead, Brian Radel said all information - including reasons and details - about the murder plot came from Jason Arrant. Radel and Arrant are former boyfriends of Rachelle Waterman. Radel testified he would never hurt someone unless someone else's life was in jeopardy. Citing second-hand information from Arrant, Radel testified Wednesday that Rachelle Waterman did not want her mother killed at first. He then said Arrant asked her directly if that is what he should do, kill her. Originally she said no, but then changed her mind, Radel said. Under direct questioning from prosecutor Jean Seaton, Radel recounted the night of the murder in an unemotional voice. While Rachelle Waterman attended a volleyball tournament in Anchorage and her father was in Juneau, Radel said he sneaked into the Waterman's home in Craig in November 2004. He found Lauri Waterman lying in bed on the third floor of the home. Radel said he gagged her with a towel and tied her up. He then forced her downstairs, where he made her drink wine. "She didn't struggle. She cried," he said. That wasn't the first attempt to kill Lauri Waterman, he said. In September 2004, he said he intended to shoot her as she crossed an intersection near Craig High School. However, when he was in his sniper's position, he discovered he forgot the screws to put his weapon together. He went home to get them, but by the time he got back, she had left the area. As it got closer to November, he was making plans to move to California to make money to pay off creditors. But soon after, he said Arrant came to him with the details of the final plan to kill Lauri Waterman. Radel said he and Arrant met while attending a bible camp in Juneau when both were 16 years old and later became "blood brothers." The latter included a vow to support each other, and he said he would do anything for Arrant. January 27, 2011: Killer's audio recording describes Waterman murder ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Prosecutors played an audio recording of Jason Arrant, one of the men convicted for the murder of Lauri Waterman, in court Thursday morning at the murder trial of her daughter. Rachelle Waterman is accused of conspiring to kill her mother at age 16. In the recording, Arrant recounted the gory details of the murder. Love letters between him and Rachelle Waterman suggested he wanted to kill her mother so they could be together. Arrant said Waterman told him the best time to commit the crime and describes the layout of the Waterman house. The tape was played after Arrant refused to testify Wednesday. January 28, 2011: Alaska State Trooper interview with Waterman played in court ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Rachelle Waterman told Alaska State Troopers she had only a casual relationship with one of the men authorities quickly identified as suspects in her mother's murder. The recorded interview with the then 16-year-old Waterman with troopers was played Friday in an Anchorage courtroom, where she is being retried for conspiring with Jason Arrant and Brian Radel for the 2004 slaying of her mother. January 28, 2011 : Jurors Hear Taped Testimony About Waterman Autopsy The prosecution continued hearing testimony from witnesses in the state’s ongoing trial against Rachelle Waterman in Anchorage Friday. In taped testimony recorded at Waterman’s first trial in 2006, Dr. Frank Fallico, a forensic pathologist, describes in gritty detail what autopsy results showed after Lauri Waterman’s body was discovered. Dental records proved the identity of the body. Fallico testified Lauri Waterman died of “blunt force injury”, and the circumstances surrounding the death clearly indicated homicide. The Craig housewife and mother was abducted and murdered in November of 2004. James See, who was police chief in Craig at the time of the murder, described how he went to the Waterman home to alert Lauri Waterman’s husband, Doc Waterman, of the possibility that the body found in the burned van may be his wife. At the home, See encountered two things. See also told jurors Friday that he also saw Jason Arrant lingering near the Waterman home at that time. Arrant seemed interested and asked “what’s going on.” See told him to leave the crime scene immediately and sealed the house. Rachelle Waterman was seeing Jason Arrant at the time of the murder, to the displeasure of her mother. Investigators identified Arrant as a suspect almost immediately. In Friday’s court session, jurors heard a recording of investigators interviewing Rachelle Waterman the day after the body was found. Robert Claus, who was an Alaska State Trooper present during that interview, told jurors that Rachelle Waterman seemed calm and not visibly upset at the time her statements were taken. Trooper interview with Waterman played in court Rachelle Waterman told Alaska State Troopers she had only a casual relationship with one of the two men authorities quickly identified as suspects in her mother's murder, according to a recorded interview played Friday in an Anchorage courtroom. "I mean, we weren't like really close," the then-16-year-old Waterman said of Jason Arrant in the interview played for jurors. Arrant was lovesick over Rachelle Waterman, according to her attorney, Steven Wells, and to letters to her from Arrant. Wells read multiple excerpts from Arrant's letters in court, pointing out that there were no words implicating Rachelle Waterman in her mother's death. Arrant has refused to testify again, and prosecutors played his recorded testimony from the first trial in 2006, when he said Rachelle Waterman was in on the plot. Rachelle Waterman was at a volleyball tournament in Anchorage the night of the murder, and her father, Carl "Doc" Waterman, was in Juneau. He reported his wife missing when he returned and found her and the minivan gone, as well as rope fibers and the tip of a rubber glove in the house. Rachelle Waterman's interview with two troopers that was played for jurors took place on the evening after the remains were discovered and before they were identified. Waterman said her mother seemed fine when they spoke by phone late in the afternoon of the day before the van was found. Asked if there were any problems between her parents, Waterman said she had heard rumors that both had affairs. She also noted problems between her mother and other people. Asked about her own relationship with her mother, Waterman said it was fine, although her mother didn't like some of the people she hung out with, including Arrant. She said her mother didn't like her chatting with "older guys." Waterman also noted that an empty bottle of wine and a wine glass were found in her home. (Comment on this)
Monday, January 24th, 2011
9:16 am [foxbase]	trial is starting Here are the latest updates. January 13, 2011: Judge moves Waterman trial to Anchorage KETCHIKAN, Alaska - A second trial for a woman accused of conspiring to kill her mother in 2004 is scheduled to begin next week in Anchorage. The Ketchikan Daily News reports that Judge William Carey ordered the trial of Rachelle Waterman moved from Ketchikan after determining it would be difficult to seat an impartial jury. The defense has sought the change of venue. District Attorney Stephen West said attorneys expect to learn Friday whether jury selection will begin Tuesday or Wednesday. Two men have pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the case and are in prison. The body of 48-year-old Lauri Waterman was found by a hunter north of Craig, a small fishing and logging town on Prince of Wales Island. Jurors deadlocked in the 2006 trial of Rachelle Waterman, who was 16 when prosecutors say she conspired to kill her mother near the southeast Alaska community of Craig. The judge at the time threw out the indictment and some evidence against Waterman, saying a statement she made to police was coerced. Parts of the statement were later reinstated, on appeal by West. A second indictment was later returned. Waterman, now 22, has pleaded not guilty in the case. Waterman's attorney, Steven Wells, told The Associated Press on Thursday that Waterman is "eager to get things moving. I think all parties are ready to go to trial, but sometimes things just take a little while." The trial is scheduled to last four weeks. Carey will preside over the trial. The Ketchikan Daily News reports that Carey agreed to move the trial "with great, great reluctance." He said it followed the results of questionnaires sent to prospective jurors in which half believed Waterman was at least "probably guilty." Carey said it might be possible to seat a jury - 84 Ketchikan-area respondents said they either hadn't heard of the case or had no opinion of it. But if a jury couldn't be seated, he said the logistics of moving the case within the four weeks allotted for the trial "are somewhat daunting." "This case absolutely needs to get done at this time," he said. January 19, 2011: Jury selection for Waterman trial begins in Anchorage ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The jury selection process began Wednesday in the murder trial of Rachelle Waterman. So many people have heard about the case, in which Waterman is accused of plotting her mother's death at age 16, that it may be hard to find 15 untainted jurors. Attorneys are now looking in a new venue for a jury that doesn't have preconceived notions of Waterman's guilt or innocence. The judge on the case moved the trial to Anchorage after determining it would be too difficult to seat an impartial jury in Ketchikan. “They still believe they should have been convicted and it's difficult because some of them are my friends. I've known them for several years,” said Waterman’s father, Doc Waterman, in a 2008 interview. Prosecutors say Waterman convinced two former boyfriends to abduct and kill her mother, but Waterman maintains she had no role in the plot despite a confession. After the trial, the judge threw out the confession statement Waterman gave to troopers because she said it had been coerced -- parts were later re-admitted by an appeals court. This is the second trial for Waterman, who is now 22 years old. The first trial, in 2006, ended in a hung jury favoring acquittal. Convicted killer Brian Radel testified against Waterman. According to Radel, Waterman came up with the scheme because she had been abused by her mother, but Radel said he heard about the plan, not from Waterman, but from the other man implicated in the crime, Jason Arrant. Radel and Arrant admitted to suffocating Lauri Waterman while trying to stage her death to look like a car crash. The story drew national media attention the first time around and now more than six years later the details are still stuck in many people's minds. January 19th, 2011: Jury selection begins in second Waterman trial ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Prospective jurors were questioned Wednesday for the second murder trial of a young woman who was 16 when she was accused of plotting to kill her mother. The second trial for 22-year-old Rachelle Waterman began in Superior Court in Anchorage with jury selection. Opening arguments could begin as early as Thursday. Waterman's first trial in 2006 ended with a deadlocked jury. The indictment against her was later thrown out over statements the teen made to police. The Alaska Court of Appeals restored some of those statements and the state decided to try Waterman again. Waterman was a high school student when she was accused of conspiring with two former boyfriends to kill her mother, 48-year-old Lauri Waterman. The woman's body was found inside a burned minivan by a hunter near the family home in Craig, a small logging and fishing town on Prince of Wales Island in southeast Alaska. Prosecutors say Waterman asked her two former boyfriends to kill her mother because she said she was being physically and mentally abused. The teen kept a Web blog called "My Crappy Life" that detailed her conflicts with her mother and growing up in the small town of 1,100, which she referred to as "Hell, Alaska." Lauri Waterman was suffocated in November 2004 after an attempt to break her neck failed. The killers then tried to make it look like she was killed in a drunken driving accident. Jason Arrant and Brian Radel, Waterman's former boyfriends who were both 24 at the time, burned the minivan with Lauri Waterman's body inside. The killing occurred on a weekend when Rachelle Waterman was out of town with her father. While in Anchorage, she attended a volleyball tournament. Arrant and Radel pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and are serving long prison sentences. They testified at Waterman's first trial in Juneau. In the first trial, Arrant told jurors that Waterman asked him to kill her mother. He enlisted the help of Radel who kidnapped Lauri Waterman from her home one night when she was alone. Rachelle Waterman admitted to police that she had discussed the idea with Arrant and that she was pretty sure the two would follow through with their plans after she told them her mother would be alone the weekend of the killing. Steven Wells, Waterman's attorney, argued that his client may have said her life would be better if her mother was not around, but that was not a request to kill her. January 24th, 2011: Jurors to hear opening arguments in Waterman trial ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Lawyers are expected to present opening arguments Monday in a trial for a young woman who was 16 when accused of plotting her mother's death in Craig. Rachelle Waterman is being tried for the second time for allegedly conspiring with two former boyfriends to kill her mother in November 2004. The trial is being conducted in Superior Court in Anchorage after being moved from Ketchikan. Waterman, now 22 years old, was 16 when she was accused of planning Lauri Waterman's death. The woman was beaten and suffocated. Waterman's first trial ended with a deadlocked jury. The indictment against her was later thrown out over statements the teen made to police. The Alaska Court of Appeals restored some of those statements and the state decided to try Waterman again. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
9:27 am [foxbase]	trial date set for jan 18 Everyone ready for a new trial? Trial date set for Rachelle Waterman December 16th, 2010 KETCHIKAN -- A woman accused of conspiring to kill her mother outside the Southeast Alaska community of Craig six years ago will be retried in January. Rachelle Waterman was a 16-year-old high school student in November 2004 when she was accused of conspiring with two former boyfriends, Jason Arrant and Brian Radel, to kill Lauri Waterman. The 48-year-old woman's body was found by a hunter north of Craig, a small fishing and logging town on Prince of Wales Island. Rachelle Waterman's first trial ended in February 2006 with a hung jury. After the jury deadlocked, a mistrial was declared and the indictment against Waterman thrown out, as well as her statements to police, which were an important part of the state's evidence. The Alaska Court of Appeals restored parts of Waterman's statement, and Ketchikan District Attorney Stephen West obtained a second indictment. Superior Court Judge William Carey on Wednesday set a new trial date of Jan. 18 in Ketchikan, the Ketchikan Daily News reported. He also said he would make provisions to move the trial if a jury cannot be seated. Waterman's attorney, Steven Wells, said he has blocked out four weeks for the trial in case the court cannot seat a jury in Ketchikan. West agreed with Wells that if the trial must move, Anchorage might be a better location than Juneau. Carey said he would talk to the presiding judge in Anchorage to make sure the court system could accommodate a trial on short notice. Questionnaire Goes Out to Potential Jurors in Murder Trial A request to mail questionnaires to potential jurors in the first degree murder trial of Rachelle Waterman was the subject of status hearing held earlier this week in Ketchikan Superior Court. Waterman is accused of conspiring to kill her mother with Craig resident Brian Radel and Klawock resident Jason Arrant. Both men plead guilty in 2004 to the first degree murder of 48-year-old Laurie Waterman. Rachelle Waterman’s first trial was held in Juneau and ended in a hung jury. (Comment on this)
Monday, June 7th, 2010
1:09 pm [foxbase]	trial in jan See ya next year! Alaska matricide trial delayed, will stay in Ketchikan 6/6/10 KETCHIKAN, Alaska - The case of a young woman accused of conspiring with two former boyfriends to kill her mother has been delayed. Ketchikan Superior Court Judge William Carey on Friday set trial in the Rachelle Waterman murder case for Jan. 18. But he says the trial will stay in Ketchikan. Waterman was scheduled to go to a second trial in June, but her attorney, Steven Wells of Anchorage, asked for a delay when scheduling conflicts forced him to represent another client in an Anchorage trial that began in May. Wells filed a motion to move the case from Ketchikan to Anchorage because he said many people have made up their minds about his client's guilt or innocence. But Carey said Friday that polling data included in Wells' motion did not convince him that a fair Ketchikan trial would be impossible. The judge said if he is proven wrong during the jury selection process he would be ready to move the trial immediately. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Dec. 15. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
1:15 pm [foxbase]	rachelle's trial delayed a week; ex-bf to testify against her Delayed a week maybe more, one of Rachelle's ex-bfs agreed to testify against her. Waterman trial delayed a week, maybe longer KETCHIKAN, ALASKA (2010-05-18) The first degree murder trial of Rachelle Waterman has been delayed a week and could be put off for months. A request to reschedule the trial was the subject of a status hearing Monday in Ketchikan Superior Court. Also Monday, the court briefly heard from Waterman’s two alleged co-conspirators, one of whom agreed to testify at Waterman’s trial. Scheduling conflicts delay matricide trial The Ketchikan Daily News reports Superior Court Judge William Carey on Monday reset Rachelle Waterman's retrial to June 7 from June 1 because her attorney, Steven Wells, is scheduled for another trial. Well says even the new trial date might not work. Carey says if the case can't be tried in June, there won't be another chance until November. District Attorney Stephen West says that runs into scheduling conflicts of his own. (Comment on this)
Monday, May 17th, 2010
8:49 am [foxbase]	rachell's attorney: "delay trial til aug '10; move trial from Ketchikan to Anchorage" Change of venue, change of trial date...? Waterman lawyer asks for delay of Alaska murder trial MOTHER KILLED: He cites schedule conflict and seeks new venue. Published: May 15th, 2010 09:34 PM KETCHIKAN -- The lawyer for a Ketchikan woman accused of conspiring to murder her mother has asked to delay the trial until the end of August, citing an unavoidable scheduling conflict in another case. Attorney Steven Wells has also asked a judge to move the trial of Rachelle Waterman from Ketchikan to Anchorage. Waterman, now 21, was charged at age 16 with conspiring with two 24-year-old men to murder her mother, Lauri Waterman, who was killed in November 2004. Jason Arrant and Brian Radel pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and are in prison. Waterman was tried in 2006 by a jury that deadlocked. A second trial was set to begin June 1 but Wells asked Ketchikan Superior Court Judge William Carey to move her trial date from June 1 to Aug. 30. In asking for the continuance, Wells wrote in Wednesday's filing that he is involved in an Anchorage case with several co-defendants that is scheduled for trial May 18. It is expected to continue until June 7 or later, he said. Anchorage authorities have said that case takes precedence because it has been pending for three years and the defendants are in custody, Wells wrote. Wells also wrote that a defense expert in Waterman's case hasn't had time to fully review the case and render an opinion. In a separate motion filed May 7, Wells asked Carey for the change of venue. (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
3:16 pm [foxbase]	rachelle: "delay trial from jan to apr '10" This just in... Waterman seeks to reschedule second trial November 19, 2009 12:44 PM ET KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) - A young woman accused of conspiring to kill her mother is seeking to delay the start of her second trial. Rachelle Waterman's attorney asked a Ketchikan Superior Court Judge William Carey to move the trial from January until at least April, citing scheduling conflicts. Waterman's first trial ended in a hung jury. Waterman was 16 in November 2004 when her mother was murdered by two men now serving long prison sentences. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, April 9th, 2009
1:01 pm [foxbase]	trial in sept Anyone going to Alaska in September? Waterman trial set for September (Published April 08, 2009) KETCHIKAN, Alaska — A murder trial for a Craig woman accused a second time of plotting with two former boyfriends to kill her mother has been set for September in Ketchikan. Rachelle Waterman, who is now 20, pleaded innocent to seven counts, including first-degree murder, at Tuesday's arraignment in Ketchikan for the 2004 death of Lauri Waterman. The defense attorney wants a change of venue, but the prosecution said it's best to keep the trial in Ketchikan, though it would take longer to find a jury. "Approximately 80 percent of the people in Ketchikan had heard about the case, and I think of those about 40 percent had had a strong opinion about guilt," said Ketchikan District Attorney Stephen West. "It is my inclination to set this matter for Ketchikan," Judge William Carey said. Waterman is charged with kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, and first-degree murder. The second trail is set to begin in mid-September. (Comment on this)
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009
12:42 pm [foxbase]	rachelle indicted didn't know she had moved to FLA... Rachelle Waterman indicted in mother's murder (Published March 27, 2009) KETCHIKAN, Alaska — A grand jury in Ketchikan has indicted Rachelle Waterman on charges relating to the death of her mother, Lauri Waterman, in 2004. Rachelle Waterman, now 20 years old and living in Florida, is facing numerous charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, murder and kidnapping. She will be arraigned on April 3 in Ketchikan, Alaska State Troopers said Friday. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, December 8th, 2008
12:56 pm [foxbase]	Appeals court asks for retrial of Waterman Steven Wells, Rachelle's attorney: "They've got one dirt bag witness who says that she was involved, and that's it". Appeals court asks for retrial of Waterman Friday, December 5, 2008 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The state says it plans to take the Craig teenager accused of planning her mother's 2004 murder back to court. The Court of Appeals ordered the trial judge to take a second look at the state's case against Rachelle Waterman. After Waterman's case was declared a mistrial in 2006, the judge threw out the indictment. Judge Patricia Collins said the videotaped confession was inadmissible in court, but the Court of Appeals said Friday only a small portion of the interview could be thrown out. Only about a 20-minute portion of that confession was involuntary, the three-judge panel ruled. Now a decision must be made on whether or not the remaining part of the statement is enough to indict Waterman. "If you exclude the small portion that the Court of Appeals suppressed, there's more than enough sufficient evidence to support the indictment," said Ketchikan District Attorney Stephen West. But Waterman's defense attorney disagrees. "They've got one dirt bag witness who says that she was involved, and that's it," said defense attorney Steven Wells. "The other guy says, ‘I think he's lying.'" Despite what the judge or a grand jury may decide, the state says it has enough to retry the case -- and win. "On a retrial, the state always has more advantage than on an original trial, because on a retrial you now know what a defense is going to be," West said. But that advantage is not enough to discourage Waterman's attorney. He says the defense has never been a surprise. "We've got a ton of witnesses," Wells said. "They've come in, they've testified, we've got their statements under oath and they present a really compelling picture of innocence of Rachelle Waterman." Despite confidence on both sides, this is a case that -- the first time -- did not convince a jury either way. Now another jury will have to hash out the details with less evidence. If the judge decides to throw out the indictment with the remaining evidence, the state can still re-indict Waterman if it feels it has enough evidence to convict. The state says that's the route they plan to take in that instance. Then it will be in the hands of the grand jury. And if the judge decides the indictment is valid, both sides will head straight to a re-trial. Alaska appeals court says judge must reconsider dismissal of indictment in Craig murder December 5, 2008 9:34 PM ET ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A judge must reconsider her decision to dismiss an indictment against a Craig teenager accused of plotting with two former boyfriends to kill her mother. The Alaska Court of Appeals says Superior Court Judge Patricia Collins must consider most of a videotaped statement by then-16-year-old Rachelle Waterman after her trial ended in a hung jury. Collins threw out the statement, saying it was coerced. Based on the weight of the statement in the state's case, the judge also threw out the indictment. The appeals court Friday sided with Collins in suppressing the last portion of the interview, where Waterman told Alaska State Troopers she knew of the plot to kill her mother and did nothing to stop it. The statement was made days after Lauri Waterman's charred body was found Nov. 14, 2004, inside the family's minivan off a remote logging road. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, September 22nd, 2008
12:59 pm [foxbase]	Alaska asking for new trial... The state of Alaska wants a new trial... State asks for new trial for Waterman Associated Press - September 19, 2008 ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Two and a half years after a judge dismissed the case against Craig teen Rachelle Waterman, the state of Alaska is trying to bring her to trial again for the murder of her mother. A state attorney on Thursday morning asked a three-judge Appellate Court to grant a new trial. Waterman's attorney argued the state has no right to appeal. If the state has it's way, Waterman could be back again to face charges that she plotted her mother's death with two former boyfriends. Both men are serving jail sentences for the crime. A judge threw out Waterman's indictment because the confession on which it was based may have been coerced. The appeals process can take months or even years. Information from: KTUU-TV, http://www.ktuu.com Waterman case brought to appeals court Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 ANCHORAGE, Alaska-- It's been four years since the murder of Lauri Waterman rocked the southeast community of Craig, and two and a half years since her daughter, Rachelle Waterman, was accused of plotting her murder. Rachelle walked free, but the case is not over yet. The question still remains: Did she or did she not convince two ex- boyfriends to kill her mother? The state of Alaska continues to try to bring Rachelle to trial again. In March 2006, after spending three weeks on trial accused of murder and nearly 14 months behind bars, 17 year-old Rachelle Waterman was out on bail. But Thursday morning, an attorney for the state of Alaska argued before a three-judge panel that dismissing the indictment against Waterman in Trial Court was a big mistake. "First of all this is a particularly heinous crime. This is murder. It is a planned murder where a daughter planned and convinced her boyfriend to murder her mother. It does not get much worse than that," Attorney Diane Wendlandt said. In order to get a second trial, the state has to convince the Appellate Court to grant one. If they don't, double jeopardy laws mean Waterman will walk free for good. "Bottom line you'll be letting a murderer off the hook. Not because the police made a mistake, not because the prosecution made a mistake, but because of an unreviewable trial court error," said Wendlandt. "The public deserves better than that, and review is appropriate in this case." Meanwhile, Waterman's attorney says the state has no right to appeal. "In this case for one reason, jurisdiction," said Attorney Beth Trimmer. There is also the issue of Waterman's videotaped confession, in which Waterman tells Alaska State Troopers of her involvement in convicted killers Jason Arrent and Brian Radel's plan to kill her mother. In the confession Waterman says that she was "pretty sure" the murder was going to happen, and that she didn't tell anybody about it. During the trial, the judge threw the confession out, saying it could have been coerced. Waterman's attorney says it should remain suppressed. "On Nov. 17 the officers lied and manipulated both Doc waterman, Rachelle's father, and Rachelle causing them to believe that she was not involved in, or responsible for her mother's death in any way," said Trimmer. Watching it all from the courtroom was Doc Waterman himself. He flew in from Craig, where he still lives in the same home. "They (residents in Craig) still believe that she should've been convicted and it's difficult because most of them are my friends, I've known them for years," Doc Waterman said. "But life goes on, and it's a great community. Craig is the best place in the world to live." His daughter, Rachelle who turned 20 last month was not present. Doc says Rachelle is currently living out of state, and is planning to finish a degree. If the state has it's way, Waterman could be back again to face accusations that she plotted her mother's death. The appeals process can take months or even years. State wants Craig woman re-tried for mother's murder The Associated Press, September 19th The state of Alaska is attempting to put a Craig woman back on trial for the murder of her mother. A judge nearly three years ago dismissed the case against Rachelle Waterman, now 20, for orchestrating the murder of her mother, Lauri Waterman. The dismissal came after a jury couldn't reach a verdict. Assistant attorney general Diane Wendlandt on Thursday asked a three-judge Appellate Court to grant a new trial. Wendlandt argued the state should be allowed to retry Waterman given the particularly heinous nature of the crime. "Bottom line, you'll be letting a murderer off the hook. Not because the police made a mistake, not because the prosecution made a mistake, but because of an unreviewable trial court error," said Wendlandt. "The public deserves better than that, and review is appropriate in this case." Waterman's attorney, Beth Trimmer, argued the state has no right to appeal "this case for one reason, jurisdiction." Lauri Waterman's body was found by a hunter off a remote logging road on Prince of Wales Island in November 2004. Waterman, 48, had been kidnapped from her home in the middle of the night and was beaten and suffocated to death. Brian Radel and Jason Arrant, both 24 at the time, burned Waterman's minivan with her body inside in an attempt to destroy evidence of their crimes. Both men pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and agreed to testify at Waterman's trial, which ended in a mistrial when the jury reported itself deadlocked. Arrant testified that he and Radel were carrying out the wishes of Rachelle Waterman, who claimed her mother abused her. Radel said the only contact he had in planning the killing was with Arrant. Both men were former lovers of the teenage girl, from the time she was 15 until she turned 16. Juneau Superior Court Judge Patricia Collins threw out Waterman's indictment because she said the confession on which it was based may have been coerced. The girl's statements to police were the centerpiece of the state's arguments to the grand jury that handed down the indictment in the case. Waterman told police at the time that she knew of the plot to kill her mother and did nothing to stop it. Those videotaped interviews were shown during the trial. Collins said the prosecution had not proved her statements were voluntary. Collins said police lied to Waterman about evidence in the case and were coercive when they threatened her with harsher consequences if she did not confess. Waterman was set free in March 2006. If the state wins its argument, Waterman would face a new trial with her statement to police again being used as evidence against her. Waterman's attorney says it should remain suppressed. Waterman did not appear at the Thursday hearing in Anchorage. Her father, Carl "Doc" Waterman, did attend and said his daughter is currently living out of state and working on a college degree. Waterman said he still lives in the same home in Craig. "They (residents in Craig) still believe that she should've been convicted and it's difficult because most of them are my friends; I've known them for years," Doc Waterman said. "But life goes on, and it's a great community. Craig is the best place in the world to live," he told Anchorage television station KTUU. It was not known when the appeals court would issue a decision. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 26th, 2008
10:00 am [foxbase]	the "infamous blogger" in Craig, Alaska: Rachelle Waterman Update Our buddy Steven Wells gives us an update on Rachelle's case. http://www.alaskareport.com/blog/2008/06/25/rachelle-waterman-update.htm Rachelle Waterman Update Jun 25th, 2008 Rachelle Waterman is the infamous blogger in Craig, Alaska who prosecutors say had two former lovers carry out the killing of Waterman’s mother. Jason Arrant and Brian Radel pleaded guilty to murder and testified against Waterman. Arrant claimed that Waterman asked him to kill her mother. He had Radel kidnap Lauri Waterman from her home one night when she was alone. The two men suffocated her in a botched attempt to make her death look like a drunken-driving accident. The charred body of her mother, Lauri Waterman, was found in the family’s minivan off a remote logging road in November 2004. Waterman, 16 at the time, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, murder in the first and second degree, kidnapping, burglary, vehicle theft and tampering with evidence. Waterman kept a blog, called “My Crappy Life” that detailed her conflicts with her mother and growing up in the small town of 1,100 which she referred to as “Hell, Alaska.” Back in the spring of 2006 when I used to live in Juneau, I covered the case for AlaskaReport. I emailed Waterman’s defense attorney Steven M. Wells a few days ago because I was curious to know what the status of the case was. This is what he sent back: The case is still under appeal. The State argues that Judge Collins was wrong to have suppressed the statement and dismissed the indictment. They appealed, arguing that they have a right to appeal. Ms. Waterman argues, though, that they do not have the right to an interlocutory appeal as a matter of right. An interlocutory appeal is an appeal that occurs before a final judgment. She has moved to prevent the State from appealing at this point. The State is somewhat stuck because their public position is that there is enough evidence to try Ms. Waterman without her statement. I believe otherwise. If the Court of Appeals grants the motion, it would force the State to proceed without her statement. At that point, the State may seek to try Ms. Waterman again or it may decide against doing so. In that event, the State would have to obtain a new indictment. If the Court of Appeals denies the motion, it means that the appeal would be accepted and the Court of Appeals would review the matter to determine if Judge Collins was correct in suppressing Ms. Waterman’s statement. If they determine that Judge Collins was correct, the State would again have to choose whether to seek another trial without Ms. Waterman’s statements. If the court determines that Judge Collins erred in suppressed the statement, the indictment would be re-instated and the State could proceed to trial on the indictment already returned. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
1:01 pm [foxbase]	medical examiner who performed Lauri Waterman's post-morten dies of cancer Anyone remember Franc? http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/438764.html Cancer claims former medical examiner (06/17/08 00:17:12) - A man who made a career of death is dead. Franc Fallico, the state's former chief medical examiner, died Saturday, said Ann Potempa, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Health and Social Services. Fallico, 66, had cancer. Fallico retired from his job as state medical examiner in April, a position he held since 2001. He had been on extended medical leave since October. "He loved to discuss/debate an issue and would take the opposing side just to challenge an ideology and make you think out loud," his wife, Hisa, wrote in an e-mail on Monday. He died at home, watching the movie "The Bucket List" with his wife by his side. The movie is about two terminally ill men who escape from a cancer ward to do the things they always wanted to do before they die. During Fallico's tenure, he was a familiar figure in courtrooms, in the news and among law enforcement around the state. He performed 1,577 autopsies, including those for some of Alaska's most gruesome crimes. He delivered his courtroom testimony about horrific deaths in plainspoken, matter-of-fact tones. He performed postmortems on some of Alaska's most famous murder victims. Recently those have included Mindy Schloss, Lauri Waterman and Delaney Zutz. Schloss, a nurse, turned up dead and her neighbor, Joshua Wade, who had been previously acquitted of one murder conviction, has been charged with killing her. In the Waterman case, a Juneau jury hung on whether her teenage daughter Rachelle should be convicted of murder. And 13-year-old Zutz was killed by a neighborhood acquaintance now serving a life sentence. Fallico attended medical school in Italy. In 1976, he moved to Anchorage and worked as a hospital pathologist for 20 years at Providence Alaska Medical Center before becoming a medical examiner. In 2005, he appeared in the Werner Herzog documentary "Grizzly Man" about the bear mauling death of Timothy Treadwell. His brief on-screen interview telling the riveting details of what happened grabbed the attention of national film critics. A New York Times reviewer said he was a "character around whom an entire reality show could be built." A funeral service is planned for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick's Church, 2111 Muldoon Road. It is open to the public. (Comment on this)
Saturday, October 27th, 2007
5:06 am [txtigerman]	The quiet return.  http://smchyrocky.livejournal.com Almost seems kind of fitting after all of this time. (14 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, January 20th, 2007
4:31 pm [scarshapedstar]	Was just clearing out some files And I came across this. Ah, memories. http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gtg734q/rachelledance.swf (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 3rd, 2007
1:28 pm [foxbase]	rachelle makes another top 10 list! http://www.sitnews.us/0107news/010207/010207_yearinreview.html Waterman mistrial A Juneau jury declared a mistrial on Feb. 14 in the first degree murder case of Craig teenager Rachelle Waterman who is accused of arranging to have two former boyfriends murder her mother. Jurors deadlocked 10-2 for acquittal. The case had generated national attention, and Court TV coverage, because Waterman had kept an internet blog detailing her anger at her life in "small town, nowhere Alaska." Many readers felt that she showed little remorse in her blog after the murder of her mother. Her former boyfriends - who actually carried out the murder while Rachelle was out of town - pled guilty and were sentenced to 99 year prison terms. They testified against her at the trial. The state indicated it planned to retry Waterman, but shortly after the trial the judge threw out key evidence including Waterman's recorded confession. No decision to retry had been announced by the end of the year. (Comment on this)