where is rachelle waterman today
She was rocking back and forth in the passenger seat of my truck, um, she was saying Hail Marys. After the failure of the latest appeal, the three-year jail sentence stood. Eventually, however, police elicited a confession from Jason. But as investigators inspected the scene, they found no sign of a driver who would have been in the front seat. Rachelle was brought in for questioning and informed of her rights, authorities told "Fatal Frontier," and still agreed to talk without her father or an attorney present. Rachelle Waterman and Jason Arrant were arrested on November 19, 2004. And I didn't feel complete. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Radel abducted Lauri and forced her to drink wine to make her death look like a drunk driving accident. I dont think she wanted her mom killed.Larson: That was a hell of a mistake.Radel: Yeah. But the judge allowed the confession to be admitted as evidence. Jason Arrant also pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was awarded a maximum of 50 years in prison with parole eligibility just after 16 years. On November 15th, 2004, the remains of 50-year-old Lauri Waterman were found in a burned out vehicle near the north side of the island of Craig, Alaska. They know how to get people to talk. Her trial opened this past January in Juneau, Alaska, several hundred miles from Rachelle's hometown of Craig. Jason, who was significantly older than Rachelle, saw Lauri as an obstacle to their relationship as the latter often showed displeasure at Rachelle dating a considerably older man. She was retried earlier this year and acquitted of conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree murder. Rachelle Waterman | Source M any years ago, Craig, Alaska was known as a safe, tight-knit community where residents often left their doors unlocked at night. After all, the pickings are slim. Their efforts were to no avail. Although the other charges against him were dropped, he plead guilty to first degree murder and is now sitting in a prison in Alaska, serving a 99-year sentence for Lauri Waterman's murder. After her arrest, Rachelle Waterman was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and five other counts in her mothers killing. Doc was a decorated serviceman who had met Lauri in Utah. McPherron: Okay. Rachelle: Murder wasn't the first thing we came to. Her mom, Lauri, was a special education teachers aide who volunteered with her church and other civic groups. So, like I said, it was discussed and I said, "Well, yes, let's do it.". This same report pointed out that Rachelle Waterman had mentioned suicide in her online journal. A 2006 trial ended in a hung jury. Her attorneys claimed that she should have been judged compared to juveniles of similar age, intelligence and experience. The prosecution introduced Jason's e-mails and letters to show he'd do anything to keep his relationship with Rachelle alive. And inside the Waterman house, Lauri's husband and daughter had found some strange things -- the bed unmade, odd fibers, the fingertip of a rubber glove on the bedroom floor and on the kitchen counter, an empty wine bottle: odd because Lauri rarely drank. Don Pierce, friend of the Waterman family: As painful as the loss of Lauri was, I think that the arrest of his daughter was even harder. So Lauri climbed into bed sometime after eleven p.m. and went to sleep, alone. From the start, public defender Steve Wells set out to prove Jason Arrant was the one with motive to kill Lauri Waterman that the man eight years Rachelle's senior took advantage of the vulnerable teen, twisting her dramatic stories of abuse for his own gain. More than a decade after the original crime took place, the Alaska Court of Appeals denied Rachelle Waterman's appeal of her conviction in the death of her mother. Or start a new search to discover more pictures at IMAGO. It happened in this beautiful place of cold, deep water and endless spruce forest. What'd you think about the confession?Schwab: Clinched it for me. Jason Arrant pled guilty to first degree murder; all other charges against him were dropped. She lives in Florida and continues to run her blog, My Crappy Life where she touts Covid-19 conspiracies. The Daily News-Miner is locally owned by the Helen E. Snedden Foundation, a 501(c)(3), "Let's look back at some of our history together.". As of November 2022, Rachelle's "My Crappy Life" blog, the one that started it all, is still active on LiveJournal. Her husband, Carl "Doc" Waterman, was away on business. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Arrant: The whole thing with plotting to kill her. Honor student plotted mother's murder, police say, People flock to online journal after 16-year-old's arraignment. The e-mails addressed to Narcissa, Rachelle's e-mail name - were sexually graphic. If convicted, she was looking at a prison term of 99 years. They were anxious to question Rachelle about her most recent (and most talked about) blog entry, which read: Just to let everyone know, my mother was murdered. But now seemed willing to do anything to get his ex-lover convicted. And -- she knew it might happen that weekend and did nothing to stop it. Brian Radel, convicted of murdering Lauri Waterman: It's not like Im a professional killer. It was a good choice; the jury was hung, with the results being 10 to 2 for acquittal. Arrant was then brought in for further questioning, finally admitting his full involvement. I wont have computer access until the weekend or so because the police took my computer to go through the hard drive. Today, Rachelle goes by the name Rocky. The retrial took place in 2011 in Anchorage. Lauris daughter, Rachelle, resided with her mother and her father in Craig, Alaska. She stated that "I think that we're starting to see more violence with kids who are younger, and the behaviors that they're exhibiting are more aggressive and more violent." I mean, come on.Larson: And Jason's motive was?Kelly Demars, juror: Rachelle. Randy McPherron (interrogation video): A little exaggeration there and a little overacting there - here, can have some dire consequences, right? Jason was a 24-year-old high school janitor who lived in his mothers basement. "She was starting to rebel at the time with the goth stuff," Merritt told producers, saying it made Lauri "roll her eyes.". The two 24-year-old men, Jason Arrant, of Klawock, and Brian Radel, of Thorne Bay, later confessed to killing 48-year-old Laurie Waterman and were charged with first degree murder. The stories she told him about being abused by her mother only making him dream more of being the girls knight in shining armor. Brian was sentenced to 99 years in prison while Jason received 50. More than a decade after the original crime took place, Rachelle Waterman's appeal of her . Setting up an account with the free blog platform LiveJournal, Rachelle gave it a name that left nothing to the imagination about its content: "My Crappy Life." Growing tired of their search and nearing sunrise, they finally decided on a rutty, rarely traveled road primarily used by logging trucks. The case has rapidly received a wide following on the Internet, partly because Waterman kept a public record of her thoughts and activities on LiveJournal, a popular blogging service. Rachelle Waterman, now 22, is being tried for the second time for her mother's murder; her first trial in 2006 ended in a hung jury.Lauri Waterman, 48, was . Commercial fishing is the predominant source of income for most of Craigs residents, with lumbering and saw mills running a close second. After a two week trial, Rachelle's fate would be determined by the jury's answer to the question: was she a calculating killer who orchestrated her own mother's death or a naive teen who never wanted her mother to die -- but was manipulated by her older lover. Radel broke under heavy interrogation as well and admitted that he was the one who had killed Lauri. Nov 5, 2019. Maybe Lauri feared her daughters life would become like hersendless volunteer work to fill the otherwise boring days. Furthermore, he stated that Rachelle was not worried about her mother. But with no verdict, the family's wounds remain open and their questions remain about Rachelle's involvement. Rachel Payne Waterman. Brian, per Jason, all but said the words Sure, why not? and they began developing a plan for murder. Rachelle: Does it look like Im gonna go to jail?Wells: The only way that she could see to get that door to open was to tell them what they wanted to hear. And then there was Arrant's best friend, 24-year-old Brian Radel. And when it came to the fatal night in question, Jason testified that Rachelle not only told him how to break into the house. Her daughter Rachelle an honor student and athlete at the local high school was 400 miles away in Anchorage, playing in a volleyball tournament. McPherron: Okay.Rachelle: First of all, I'd like to apologize for being a smart ass.Sgt. Jason Arrant refused to testify in her retrial. On being asked, Rachelle said that her mom probably got drunk and ran off the road somewhere. Or, if you like, you can send me lifeblood to keep me going. And when it came to her mother, whom she called "the female parental unit, Rachelle wrote that Lauri criticized her weight, read her mail, once went psycho bitch on her and threw her down the stairs. Chelle Waterman. Why, other than obvious reasons, Lauri was even more adamant than her husband that Rachelle not date Jason, no one will ever know, but she was very vocal with her opinion. Rachelle approved of the murder of her mother and admits that when she said she tried to call it off -- she was telling another lie. Arrant and Waterman will be arraigned in the District Court in Craig this morning. It was an entry that had went virallong before that was ever a buzzwordand solicited more than 5,000 visitors to her blog. The Alaska Court of Appeals ruled in February to deny the appeal of a Craig woman who was found guilty of negligent homicide for actions that led to her mothers murder in 2004. Corrections Deputy Commissioner Portia Parker indicated that Waterman "is an adult in the eyes of the law." Demars: They didn't give her any room to talk.Jones: For a 15-year-old who's scared out of her mind, they're professionals. That all changed when 48-year-old Lauri Waterman, a well-liked special ed teacher, and girl scout volunteer was abducted from her home, beaten, and set on fire. The two former boyfriends, Jason Arrant of Klawock and Brian Radel of Thorne Bay, confessed to the 2004 murder, which took place outside of Craig on Prince of Wales Island. Rachelle claimed that she had told Jason about the abuses she has faced. They did find her guilty of negligent homicide. The jury all agreed Rachelle had been involved, but to what degree? "The remains had been almost completely destroyed by the fire," Claus told "Fatal Frontier: Evil In Alaska," airing Sundays at 7/6c on Oxygen. They also argued that the harsh police interrogation was not proper as Rachelle was too young to understand her Miranda rights fully. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. I didn't do any of it very well. Arrant then allegedly watched as Radel doused the body and van with gasoline and then used a roll of paper towels to set it on fire, in an attempt to destroy the evidence. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. But the most dramatic testimony in the trial came when prosecutor west called to the stand the other killer -- Brian Radel. After Lauri drank wine, the duo forced her into the familys minivan and began searching for a good accident site. I know that she's a loving person. When investigators came to the home, they noted the clothes she wore to the Chamber of Commerce dinner were in the house, as were photos of the event. Fairfield University student Mark Steven Fisher was looking for a fun night out in Manhattan with friends, but he had a little too much to drink, met a girl he liked, and followed her to a deadly party. Anchorage's police department was called in to help, and Claus waited at the crime scene overnight to make sure no animals or weather disturbed the body. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.. Showers in the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. The next day, Rachelle went to school and told her friends that her mother had been killed in a drunk driving accident. The key, the defense argued, would have easily opened any door in the house. But what was real and what was imagined? But as revealed in the next episode of People Magazine. Authorities later confirmed that the allegations of abuse were unfounded. Rachelle Waterman and the plan to end her mother. Pierce: I don't think that any of us really knew Jason. Other than sporadic employment, Brian roamed aimlessly, living in the moment. Wells says that Watermans three-year sentence doesnt mean three more years in jail because a third of that time can be taken off for good behavior, and Waterman already served some time during the trial process. Rachelle's brother Geoffrey still has questions, but has never discussed their mother's murder with Rachelle. The jury had deadlocked -- 10 votes in favor of acquittal, two in favor of a guilty verdict. Brian James Radel, also 24, was another one of the handful of island misfits.