Lisa Montgomery and Bobbie Jo Stinnett initially crossed paths at a dog show, where they discovered a mutual enthusiasm for dog breeding. However, what started as a friendly visit soon spiraled into a tragic and brutal crime.
In 2004, Bobbie Jo Stinnett, a dog breeder, met Lisa Montgomery at a dog show, and they quickly bonded over their love for dogs. Their conversations continued on an online forum dedicated to dog breeding, where Montgomery, under a pseudonym, arranged to visit Stinnett’s home to see a puppy she expressed interest in adopting, as reported by authorities.
At the time, Stinnett was 23 years old and pregnant. Instead of a simple puppy purchase, Montgomery attacked Stinnett, rendering her unconscious.
Her sinister intention was to remove Stinnett’s unborn child and take it back to Kansas, claiming it as her own.
Prosecutors revealed that Montgomery used a kitchen knife to slice into Stinnett’s abdomen. Stinnett briefly regained consciousness and attempted to resist before Montgomery ultimately strangled her to death.
Stinnett was found in a pool of blood and was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to CBC News. An Amber Alert was issued for the abducted baby, and tips led law enforcement to Montgomery’s residence.
The baby, named Victoria Jo, survived the horrific ordeal and was reunited with her father, Zeb Stinnett, at the hospital. Montgomery was apprehended at the scene, but she insisted the baby was hers.
Eventually, she confessed to the murder and abduction.
At the time, Montgomery was married and had deceived her husband, Kevin Montgomery, into believing she was pregnant and had given birth, as reported by the Topeka Capital-Journal.
“I held that baby proudly,” he stated.
In 2007, Montgomery was convicted by a jury of federal kidnapping resulting in death. Prosecutors indicated that her motive was to use the baby to gain custody of two of her four children before her husband discovered her deception.
The jury unanimously recommended the death penalty, which the court subsequently imposed. She was initially set to be executed in December 2020.
According to CNN, a federal judge granted Montgomery a stay of execution, citing the need to determine her mental competency for execution, which would affect her eligibility for the death penalty.
However, the Supreme Court denied the stay, and requests for clemency from family, supporters, and her attorney to President Donald Trump were unsuccessful. This occurred after a 17-year hiatus in federal executions.
Kelley Henry, Montgomery's attorney, criticized the Trump administration's "bloodlust" regarding her execution, as reported by the AP.
Ultimately, Montgomery was executed by lethal injection on January 13, 2021, at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. She was 52 years old.
Montgomery became the first woman to be executed by the federal government since 1953, the last being Bonnie Brown Heady, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering a young boy in Missouri.