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Rachelle Waterman/googlearchiveRachelle Waterman, (aka Rachelle Ann Monica Waterman and "smchyrocky"), a 16-year-old girl from Craig, Alaska, USA, has been charged with the first degree murder of her mother. Rachelle with her alleged accomplices, Jason Arrant and Brian Radel, both 24 years old, are accused of murdering and conspiring to murder Rachelle's 48-year-old mother, Lauri Waterman, using a blunt object, shortly after midnight local time on November 14, 2004, then burning the Plymouth minivan in which the killing took place in an alleged attempt to destroy the evidence. The case has rapidly received a wide following on the Internet, partly because Rachelle kept a public record of her thoughts and activities on LiveJournal, a popular blog, or weblog. The last entry in her journal reads: - "Just to let everyone know, my mother was murdered.
- "I won't have computer acess (sic) until the weekend or so because the police took my computer to go through the hard drive. I thank everyone for their thoughts and e-mails, I hope to talk to you when I get my computer back."
A diverse group of users, both friends and strangers, have posted over 5,000 comments on the journal, positive and negative, transforming the case into an Internet phenomenon. Every entry since March 2004 has apparently now been deleted or hidden, but a ZIP archive of the entire weblog, from before the entries were deleted, is available on Deadly Blogging. Rachelle is a Grade 10 Honors (A-average) student in her second year at Craig High School. She was also a member of the team (ACDC) and sang in the choir, a profile that has left many people questioning her involvement in the killing and asking what motive there might be. At the time police say the killing occurred, Rachelle Waterman was apparently playing in a volleyball tournament in Anchorage, Alaska. Apart from the online diary Rachelle kept, the case is also unusual because matricide is rare. Family background The Waterman family is a locally prominent, middle-upper class family. Born on August 26, 1988, Rachelle showed an interest in acting, computers, movies and music, and was an honor roll student, involved in many extra-curricular activities, including choir, volleyball, and the decathlon team - advancing to upper levels and winning prizes in almost every endeavor. Her mother, Lauri, was a teachers' aide and served on the board of the Little League and the town library. Rachelle Waterman's 60-year-old father, Carl "Doc" Waterman, is a real estate agent and serves as president of the Craig School Board. Rachelle's older brother, Geoffrey, lives out of town and is a student at Tacoma College. Arraignment On Saturday, November 20, 2004, Rachelle appeared in Craig District Court, dressed in an orange CCJF jumpsuit, for arraignment on the charges. Waterman and her alleged co-conspirators, Jason Arrant, and Brian Radel, faced a 10-count indictment, listing 26 felonies. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported that, "the complaint against Rachelle Waterman relied on statements by all three co-defendants. The complaint says the girl told one of the suspects when she and her father would be out of town." A report in The Ketchikan Daily News stated that, "The first seven counts of the indictment allege that all three defendants committed the crimes of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder; first-degree murder; second-degree murder; kidnapping; first-degree burglary; first-degree vehicle theft and tampering with physical evidence." Other charges were made against Arrant and Radel. The same report went on to state, "Trooper Robert Claus, Klawock resident Jan Bush and Deputy State Medical Examiner Susan Klingler testified before the grand jury." Magistrate Kay Clark presided over the arraignment and set bail at $150,000. Clark also appointed a public defender to represent Rachelle, who was sent to the Juneau Department of Corrections facility. Alleged crime Reportedly, Arrant dropped Radel off near the Waterman home shortly after 12:00 a.m. Sunday, November 13, 2004 where Radel proceeded to kidnap Lauri Waterman, force her into a minivan owned by the Waterman family, and kill her with a blunt object. Arrant and Radel then allegedly met at Forest Service Road 3012 at about 2:30 a.m., and Arrant followed Radel to its dead end, where Radel had driven the Waterman's van. 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. Alleged motive No motive for the crime has been suggested. Readers are closely scrutinizing Rachelle's online journal for clues. As early as February 24th of 2004, she posted the following: - "Don't you hate it when the little pieces of shit pile up to the point you're at the breaking point, and you want to scream and cry at the same time. I don't know weather to kill somebody, myself, or just curl up into a fetal position under my covers and lay there for a couple of days. Either way . . . I'm not good . . . "
Numerous readers have pointed to Rachelle's negative comments concerning her mother's wishes to send her to a "fat farm" to lose weight. - "My mom finally gave me back the right to eat but wants to send me to fat camp this summer. I think it's rather hallarious. I mean, I agree I'm chunky but if she sends me off I"ll be the skinny girl and get sat apon. That part wouldn't be funny, but overall it's quite amusing. Silly mother," (verbatim spelling).
In another incident, her mother grounded her (restricted her to home) for receiving an 89% score on a test. Rachelle posted these comments to her journal in response to this situation (verbatim spelling): - "well I'm grounded, last ngiht my mom went psycho bitch on me and cast me out. So I went to crash at someone's house then she freaked out, wanted me home incase I told someone. Wee for loving parental units"
- "I even got to fly...down the stairs...."
Other readers have pointed to the title of Rachelle's journal, "My Crappy Life (The Inside Look of an Insane Person)", and her negative description of her hometown as "Hell, Alaska, United States": - "I live in the suckiest place on earth, a shit hole in alaska."
Rachelle posted the following poem to her journal on August 24, 2004, with an indication that she was depressed: - they hold the key to my chamber
- locked within it's depths.
- never to see the sunlight,
- and contemplating death.
- starving more than one way
- soul and body combine,
- the pain curses through
- sending chills up the spine.
- will I live to see the stars?
- the sunrise once more?
- or will I wither and rot
- my heart gone forevermore
She also had a strong desire not to be at home: - "I just want a job, keep me occupied and not at home"
and even posted an "Ode to Suicide" under the following post: - "Ever feel completely alone? All the people who you care about and you thought cared about you just leave and you're....just alone...nobody to connect with, nobody to comfort you when you find out you might die, nobody...nothing...."
- Ode to Suicide
- Pain consumes my body,
- eating away like lye.
- Tearing at my flesh,
- no more tears left to cry.
- Nobody loves me,
- nobody cares.
- Why continue on?
- I want out of these snares.
- Relief and release,
- is what you bring to me.
- No more matters to cry for,
- I can finally be free.
- "wow I suck amazingly at poetry"
Finally, the weekend before Rachelle left on a trip, during which time her mother was allegedly killed, she noted in her second-to-last entry, "I had a migraine from about 9am-6pm". Aftermath One of the last entries in Rachelle's journal wonders whether anyone is reading her comments (verbatim spelling): - "Well not a lot has happened lately I jsut thought I should let people know I"m still alive, not like too many people care cus I'm not even sure if anyone reads these from me anymore."
If Rachelle is convicted, sociologists and forensic psychologists are likely to study her journal and the circumstances of her writing it. The police have already seized her computer and are examining the contents of its hard drive for evidence. LiveJournal has subsequently restricted the viewing of her journal. References Rachelle Waterman on LiveJournal Police report on the case Press reports about the case Scholastic Accomplishments External links Waterman, Rachelle
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