A woman executed on death row performed a defiant final act before she was executed.
Lisa Montgomery befriended 23-year-old pregnant Bobbie Jo Stinnett and initially, they had bonded over their love of dogs.
On December 16, 2004, she went to Stinnett’s home, overpowered her, strangled her with a rope, and cut her unborn baby out of her womb.
Police found Montgomery cradling the newborn when they arrived at her home, and initially, they believed she had given birth the previous day.
Tragically, Stinnett had died from her injuries, but the baby was safely recovered and returned to her family.
Montgomery’s fabrication was eventually exposed, and she confessed to the murder.
In 2007, she was tried and found guilty.
Montgomery received a lethal injection at a prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, in January 2021, becoming the first female federal inmate to be executed by the US government in 67 years.
Her death came after a last-minute stay of execution was lifted by the US Supreme Court.
Witnesses reported, via the BBC, that Montgomery’s face mask was removed during the execution process.
Her attorney, Kelley Henry, denounced those responsible for the execution, stating they should “feel shame.”
Henry asserted, “The government spared no effort in its determination to execute this deeply troubled and mentally ill woman.
“Lisa Montgomery’s execution was anything but justice.”
However, just before receiving the lethal injection, Montgomery made a defiant gesture.
Her defense team contended that she suffered from severe mental illness, stemming from a traumatic history of abuse during her childhood.
Montgomery’s troubled upbringing led her to marry at 18, but both of her marriages were plagued by abuse, according to The Guardian.
After giving birth to four children, she was forcibly sterilized.
Her defense team argued that the relentless violence and trauma she endured throughout her life amounted to torture.
They also claimed she was suffering from psychosis and was detached from reality at the time of her horrific crime.
The case sparked public debate, with human rights groups opposing the death penalty for Montgomery, while the family of Stinnett insisted that, regardless of her mental state, she deserved capital punishment for the brutality of her actions.
Montgomery’s execution faced two delays—first due to the pandemic and later when a judge temporarily halted the process pending a mental competency hearing, as reported by CNN.
At 52, in her final moments, she made one last defiant gesture.
When asked for her final words—a chance to express remorse—Montgomery simply said, “No.”
