Lisa M. Montgomery

Lisa M. Montgomery
Born	Lisa Marie Montgomery (1968-02-27) February 27, 1968
Nationality	American
Other names	Darlene Fischer, The Womb Killer
Known for	Convicted of the 2004 murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett and kidnapping of her unborn infant

Lisa Marie Montgomery, (born February 27, 1968) is a woman from Melvern, Kansas who was convicted of the 2004 murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett. Montgomery killed the pregnant Stinnett before cutting Stinnett's unborn baby out from the womb and kidnapping her.

Crime

Montgomery met Stinnett online in a rat terrier chatroom called "Ratter Chatter." Posing as "Darlene Fischer," Montgomery told Stinnett that she, too, was pregnant. The two women chatted online and exchanged e-mails about their pregnancies. Montgomery then arranged a meeting at Stinnett's home under the pretext of wanting to buy a rat terrier. On December 16, 2004, Montgomery strangled with a pink neon rope the pregnant woman in her home in Skidmore, Missouri, and cut the premature infant from her womb. She later attempted to pass the infant girl off as her own child.

Stinnett was discovered by her mother, Becky Harper, in a pool of blood about an hour after the assault. Harper immediately called 911, describing the wounds inflicted upon her daughter as appearing as if her "stomach had exploded". Attempts by paramedics to revive Stinnett were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead at St. Francis Hospital in Maryville, Missouri.

After Montgomery's capture by police, the day-old baby was recovered. Victoria Jo Stinnett was returned to the care of her father, Zeb Stinnett.

Montgomery's criminal offense, established under the Federal Kidnapping Act, intended to make it easier for federal authorities to respond to kidnappings once they cross state lines. She was tried and convicted for "kidnapping resulting in death," in Title 18, United States Code 1201. U.S. attorney Todd Graves stated that federal jurisdiction is established when a person dies as a result of a kidnapping. Violations of Title 18, USC 1201 may result in capital punishment and/or any sentence up to life imprisonment.

Lisa M. Montgomery, Federal Bureau of Prisons No. 11072-031, is held at Federal Medical Center, Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. She could become the third woman to be put to death by the federal government since 1927, and second since Ethel Rosenberg was executed for espionage at Sing Sing Prison in New York State on June 19, 1953. (Bonnie Brown Heady was executed in Missouri on December 18, 1953.)

Trial

File:CarswellFMCFortWorthTX.jpg

Federal Medical Center, Carswell, where Montgomery is held

At a pre-trial hearing, a neuropsychologist testified that head injuries which she had suffered some years before could have damaged the part of the brain which controls aggression. During her trial in federal court, her defense attorneys asserted that she suffered from pseudocyesis, a mental condition that causes a woman to falsely believe she is pregnant and exhibit outward signs of pregnancy.

Noted neuroscientist VS Ramachandran gave expert testimony that Montgomery suffered from severe pseudocyesis delusion. According to Dr. Ramachandran, Montgomery's childhood sexual abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder predisposed her to pseudocyesis. Dr. Ramachandran testified that Montgomery's stories about her actions fluctuated because her delusional state fluctuated. Ramachandran stated that Montgomery was suffering from a severe mental disease or defect when she committed the crime and that she was unable to appreciate the nature and quality of her acts. Federal prosecutor Roseann Ketchmark characterized Ramachandran's theory linking the murder/kidnapping to pseudocyesis as "voodoo science."

Forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz testified for the prosecution. Dietz had worked with prosecutors on other high-profile cases, including those of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, as well as two women, Andrea Yates and Susan Smith, who had killed their own children. Yates was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Dietz testified that Montgomery did not suffer from pseudocyesis and dismissed Ramachandran's theory as outrageous.

On October 22, 2007, jurors found Montgomery guilty of murder. On October 26, the jury recommended a death sentence. Prosecutor Matt Whitworth claimed that Lisa Montgomery planned the murder well in advance, according to a report from the BBC. On April 4, 2008, a judge upheld the jury's recommendation for death.

The case is detailed in the 2006 books Baby Be Mine by Diane Fanning and Murder in the Heartland by M. William Phelps.

On March 19, 2012, the US Supreme Court denied Montgomery's certiorari petition.

See also

• Internet homicide
• List of death row inmates in the United States
• List of women on death row in the United States

External links

• BOP.gov: Lisa Montgomery
• About.com: Montgomery could face a death sentence
• KariSable.com: Bobbie vs montgomery
• CNN: Woman accused of stealing baby appears in court
• KansasCity.com: Opening statement in Lisa Montgomery trial
• CBS: Stolen baby suspect in court