Waterman jury to hear opening statements

An Anchorage jury was seated just before 11 a.m. today for the retrial of Rachelle Waterman, accused of conspiring with two men to kill her mother.

Opening statements were expected to begin around 1 p.m. A dozen jurors and three alternates were picked.

Waterman is charged with murder, conspiracy, kidnapping and other charges related to the death of her mother in 2004 near their small Southeast town of Craig. At the time, Waterman was 16, an honor student and an athlete. Now she is 22, going to college and working out of state.

The first trial, in Juneau, ended with a hung jury.

Prosecutors say Waterman told a former boyfriend her mother, Lauri Waterman, abused her, and he and a friend with whom she also had been involved carried out the killing. But Waterman knew what they planned and didn't stop it, prosecutors say.

The men, Jason Arrant and Brian Radel, pleaded guilty and are in prison. They testified against her at her first trial. But it's not clear if they will do so again.

It's also not yet known if Waterman will take the stand. Her defense lawyer, Steven Wells, said it's early to say. Ketchikan Superior Court Judge William Carey, who is in Anchorage presiding over the trial, told Waterman today that the decision was hers and hers alone.

Jury selection began Wednesday. Testimony is expected to take at least two weeks.

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