Lisa Montgomery who strangled a pregnant woman, sliced her body open, and kidnapped her unborn baby is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on December 8, 2020, at the United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute.
Lisa will be the first female inmate to be executed by the U.S. government in 67 years and one of the 55 women in the United State to be executed. Lisa has been on death row since 2008 after she was charged with a kidnapping that resulted in death.
UPDATE: Execution Date For The Only Woman On Federal Death Row Is Rescheduled for January 12
The murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnet
Bobbie Jo Stinnett was eight months pregnant, she and her husband ran a dog-breeding business from their residence. She met Lisa Montgomery through Rat Terrier Chatroom called “Ratter Chatter.” Lisa told Bobbie that she was also pregnant, this led to the two of them chatting online and exchanging emails about pregnancies.
Bobbie Jo also worked at a local manufacturing plant in Maryville, as the couple needed all the money they could get with a baby on the way.
Lisa posed as a customer to meet Bobbie Jo
On December 16th, 2004, Lisa posed as a customer, “Darlene Fischer,” and expressed her interest in buying a puppy. Bobbie Jo was alone at the time and Lisa used a pink neon rope and strangled her to death. But Lisa wasn’t finished, she used a knife and sliced open Bobbie Jo’s stomach, and took out her unborn baby.
Turned out, Lisa had it all planned, for months she’d been lying to her husband and her friends. She told everyone she was pregnant, even she didn’t look like it. Even her husband Kevin bought her lie, it wasn’t Lisa’s first child but it was Kevin’s first.
All the time Lisa was planning to meet Bobbie Jo, she searched for ultrasound images, printed them, and showed them to everyone, claiming them as her own. Before she went to meet Bobbie Jo, she looked up pictures of cesarean sections.
After removing the baby from Bobbie Jo’s dead body, she called Kevin and told him that she’d given birth to a beautiful baby girl. Meanwhile, Bobbie Jo’s dead body was discovered by her mother, in a pool of blood about an hour after the assault.
She immediately called 911 and described the wounds as her stomach had exploded. While the police were heading towards the crime scene, Lisa was heading back to Kansas with the baby.
The police put out an alert, they’ve deduced the problem when they arrived at the scene. Two people had been attacked, but there was only one body. They contacted the FBI, hoping that the baby could be found alive.
The only suspect in the case was Darlene Fisher, who’d made an appointment to buy a dog. Even though Lisa had given a fake name, the authorities were quick to figure out her address, by tracking her IP address and linked it to a phone number.
The next day, Lisa Montgomery was arrested, the baby was still alive and returned to his father Zeb Stinnett. DNA testing proved that it was the baby of Bobbie Jo Stinnet.
Who Is Lisa Montgomery?
Lisa Marie Montgomery was raised in an abusive home where she was raped by her stepfather for many years. She found her escape by drinking alcohol. When her mother found out about the abuse she threatened her with a gun.
Trying to escape from her life, Lisa married at the age of 18, but her marriage and the following marriage resulted in even more abuse. Lisa went through the process of tubal ligation after she had four children.
Despite this, she falsely claimed to be pregnant multiple times after the procedure, according to her first and second spouse.
Lisa was charged with the Federal offense of “kidnapping resulting in death,” and on October 22, 2007, jurors found Lisa guilty. She was given a death sentence on October 26, and on 4, April 2008 a judge upheld the Jury’s recommendation for death.
What Happened to Bobbie Jo Stinnett’s Baby?
After the baby was found out by authorities, she was raised by her father, with the help of several other family members. She was named Victoria Jo Stinnett.
She remained out of the public eye, and she will turn 16 years old in December 2020, which also, of course, the anniversary of her mother’s death. Victoria is also set to graduate from high school in 2023, and it appears that she and her dad still reside in Missouri.
Where Lisa Montgomery now?
More than 15 years after Lisa murdered Bobbie Jo, the officials confirmed in October 2020, that Lisa Montgomery would be the first woman to face federal execution in more than 67 years.
Lisa is scheduled to be executed on December 8, 2020, by lethal injection at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. While talking about the news of Lisa’s execution, Kelly Henry, a lawyer on Lisa’s legal team said in an email statement:
“In the grip of her mental illness, Lisa committed a terrible crime. Yet she immediately expressed profound remorse and was willing to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence with no possibility of release,” Henry said.
“Lisa Montgomery has long accepted full responsibility for her crime, and she will never leave prison, but her severe mental illness and the devastating impacts of her childhood trauma make executing her a profound justice.”
Lisa could become the first woman prisoner to put to death since Bonnie Heady, who was convicted of abducting and killing the 6-year son of a wealthy car dealer in Missouri, in 1953.
