Prosecutor: Waller's manuscript will be used as evidence

Clay Waller supposedly was working on a book, and information contained in that manuscript is part of the evidence in the federal prosecutor’s case that charges Waller with crossing state lines when he assaulted and killed his wife, Jacque Waller.

According to the indictment in the case, the manuscript by Clay Waller is titled, “‘If You Take My Kids, I’ll Kill You!’: The Public Confession of Missouri’s Most Notorious Wife Killers.”

It is not clear why “killers” is plural. It was obtained by FBI agents March 8.

“There was some very good police work that enabled authorities to locate it,” federal prosecutor Richard Callahan told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Callahan refrained from revealing how investigators found the manuscript or whether Waller has a book deal.

Waller pleaded guilty in June 2013 and agreed to a binding plea agreement with the Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney’s office. He then led authorities to Jacque Waller’s body across the Mississippi River to Devil’s Island in Illinois. Waller also needed to provide a detailed account of the killing and surrounding events.

“There were some legal issues as to whether we would be able to use his guilty plea as evidence,” Callahan told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “So the manuscript certainly provided an independent source of evidence.”

The indictment states all potential proceeds received from the publication, adaptation or of other work derived from the manuscript shall be forfeited to the government.

Callahan wrote in a news release the case begged for a prosecution. He told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the reason the case was suitable for an indictment was because of the brutality of the murder and the fact he was able to extract a plea agreement from the county prosecuting attorney’s office by taking advantage of the family’s concern for closure.

Clay Waller is serving a 20-year sentence for Jacque Waller’s murder in the Missouri Department of Corrections. He previously served a five-year sentence in federal prison for threatening Jacque’s sister.

If Waller is found guilty on the new federal charge, he could be sentenced up to life in prison.

bkleine@semissourian.com

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