Lisa Montgomery, convicted for the horrific killing of a pregnant woman in 2004, was executed in January 2021, marking the first federal execution of a woman in almost seven decades. Her crime involved killing Bobbie Jo Stinnett and abducting her unborn child, an act that shocked and horrified many.
Montgomery’s early life was filled with abuse and mental health struggles, including psychosis and brain injuries sustained from trauma. Despite expert testimony about her condition, the courts sentenced her to death. Mental competency appeals sought to halt the execution but were ultimately denied.
On this #WorldDayAgainstTheDeathPenalty, we are focused on the invisible reality of women sentenced to death. I’m thinking about Lisa Montgomery. Lisa’s entire life was a tragedy from before she left her mother’s womb until the federal government killed her this past January. pic.twitter.com/t7HEZGWaWx
— Sister Helen Prejean (@helenprejean) October 10, 2021
Just as the lethal injection began, a guard asked Montgomery if she wished to say anything, to which she softly answered “No.” Her execution reignited debate about the death penalty, especially for defendants with serious mental illness.
The U.S. government executed convicted murderer Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row https://t.co/YCOFlLm9Bp pic.twitter.com/owsRsangrl
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 13, 2021
Her death at the federal penitentiary in Indiana ended a period of federal execution moratorium and highlighted the ongoing challenges surrounding capital punishment in the United States.
