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It has been suggested that Bobbie Jo Stinnett be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2012. |
Lisa Marie Montgomery, (born February 27, 1968) is a woman from Melvern, Kansas who confessed to the 2004 murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, an expectant mother, in an attempt to kidnap her unborn baby.[1]
Montgomery met Stinnett online in a rat terrier chatroom called "Ratter Chatter."[2] Posing as "Darlene Fischer," Montgomery told Stinnett that she, too, was pregnant. The two women chatted online and exchanged e-mails about their pregnancies.[3] Montgomery then arranged a meeting at Stinnett's home under the pretext of wanting to buy a rat terrier. On December 17, 2004, Montgomery strangled the pregnant woman in her home and cut the premature infant from her womb. She later attempted to pass the infant girl off as her own child. [4] After Montgomery's capture by police, the days-old baby, named Victoria Jo Stinnett, was recovered and returned to the care of her father, Zeb Stinnett.[5]
Lisa M. Montgomery, Federal Bureau of Prisons # 11072-031, is held at Federal Medical Center, Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas.[6] She could become the third woman to be put to death by the federal government since 1927.[7]
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[edit] Trial
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.[8] 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.[9]
VS Ramachandran, the well known neuroscientist, appeared as an expert for the defense and testified 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.[10]
Park Dietz, a forensic psychiatrist and witness for the prosecution, testified during the trial. Dietz had worked on other high-profile cases, including those of child killers Andrea Yates and Susan Smith, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski. [11]
On October 22, 2007, jurors found Montgomery guilty of murder. On October 26, the jury recommended that she be sentenced to death for her crime. [12] The prosecutor in the case, Matt Whitworth, claimed that Lisa Montgomery planned the murder for a long time before she did it, according to a report from the BBC. On April 4, 2008, a judge upheld the jury's recommendation for death.[13]
The case is detailed in two 2006 books: one by author Diane Fanning titled Baby Be Mine.[14] and a second by author M. William Phelps titled Murder In The Heartland.[15]
[edit] See also
[edit] Sources
- Lisa Montgomery News
- 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
[edit] References
- ^ "Kansas Town Stunned By Kidnap-Murder Case". local6.com. 2004-12-19. http://www.local6.com/news/4005020/detail.html. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ "Law Center: Couple allegedly showed off kidnapped baby; Dad united with daughter". [CNN]. December 20, 2004. http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/12/19/missouri.fetus/index.html. Retrieved April 27, 2009. "[Montgomery], using a fictitious name, contacted Stinnett on Wednesday through an Internet chat room about looking at rat terriers the Stinnetts sold over the Internet. [...] The Internet chat room "Ratter Chatter," a haven for rat terrier lovers in cyberspace, was overwhelmed with responses from its users, many of whom indicated they knew both the victim and suspect in the case."
- ^ True Stories of Law & Order: SVU (page 155) by Kevin Dwyer and Juré Fiorillo. (Berkley, 2006. ISBN 0-425-21735-3)
- ^ "Bobbi Jo Stinnett Murdered for her Baby by Lisa Montgomery". http://www.karisable.com/stinnett.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ "Dad united with kidnapped girl". cnn.com. 2004-12-19. Archived from the original on 2007-10-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20071029130419/http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/12/18/missouri.fetus/index.html. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ "Lisa M Montgomery." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on October 3, 2010.
- ^ Montaldo, Charles. "Lisa Montgomery Sentenced to Death." About.com. Monday April 7, 2008. Retrieved on October 3, 2010.
- ^ Summers, Chris (2007-10-01). "The women who kill for babies". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6990419.stm. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
- ^ "Jury considers death for convicted fetus thief". MSNBC. 2007-10-24. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21458179/. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ American Lawyer.com, United States v. Lisa M. Montgomery, April 07, 2011[1]
- ^ Park Dietz Associates – In The News
- ^ "Jury: Lisa Montgomery should be executed". kansascity.com. 2007-10-26. Archived from the original on 2007-10-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20071028074250/http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/334555.html. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
- ^ Bill Mears. Woman gets death sentence in fetus-snatching murder. CNN, 2008-04-04.
- ^ Mystery Writers of America book detail, Baby Be Mine by Diane Fanning
- ^ M. William Phelps Murder In The Heartland
