Lisa Marie Montgomery said she was interested in purchasing a puppy. But once the Kansas woman arrived at Bobbie Jo Stinnett’s Missouri home in 2004, she attacked the pregnant 23-year-old, using a rope to strangle her until she lost consciousness.
With a kitchen knife, Montgomery cut the 8-month-old fetus out of Stinnett’s womb, taking it to raise as her own. Stinnett was found later by her mother, dead in a pool of blood.
Montgomery confessed to the killing, and the baby — who survived — was returned to the father. For the past 13 years, Montgomery has been incarcerated, the only woman currently on federal death row, waiting as her attorneys filed appeals.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media