Lisa M. Montgomery

The case was described in the books, Baby Be Mine, by author Diane Fanning and Murder in the Heartland by M. William Phelps. This case was featured on Deadly Women's episode Fatal Obsession. This case was also featured in the 5th episode of documentary No One Saw a Thing that first aired on the Sundance Channel August 29, 2019.

However, Duchardt's aforementioned pseudocyesis defense, Montgomery's unfavorable background and separate diagnoses of mental illness were not fully revealed to the jury until after her conviction, by her appeals team. This led critics, including the Guardian journalist David Rose, to argue that Duchardt provided an incompetent legal defense for Montgomery. Judge Fenner required Duchardt to be cross-examined in November 2016. Duchardt rejected all criticism and defended his conduct.

On March 19, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Montgomery's certiorari petition. Montgomery, who is registered for the Federal Bureau of Prisons under number 11072-031, was as of 2017 incarcerated at Federal Medical Center, Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, where she will remain indefinitely. She is currently the only woman with a federal death sentence incarcerated at that facility.

On October 22, 2007, jurors found Montgomery guilty. On October 26, the jury recommended a death sentence. Judge Gary A. Fenner formally sentenced Montgomery to death. On April 4, 2008, a judge upheld the jury's recommendation for death.

It is known that Stinnett was expecting the arrival in Skidmore, Missouri of prospective buyers for a terrier at about the time of her murder. Montgomery told Stinnett that she, too, was pregnant, leading to the two women chatting online and exchanging e-mails about their pregnancies. Additionally, there was no sign of forced entry. Authorities now believe that Montgomery, posing as customer "Darlene Fischer," arranged to visit Stinnett's house on that day. On December 16, 2004, Montgomery entered the house, strangled Stinnett, and cut the premature infant from her womb.

The next day, December 17, 2004, Montgomery was arrested at her farmhouse in Melvern, Kansas, where the newborn had been claimed as her own and was recovered. The day-old baby, later named Victoria Jo Stinnett, was returned to her father, Zeb Stinnett. The quick recovery and capture was attributed to, in part, the use of computer forensics, which tracked Montgomery and Stinnett's online communication with one another. Both bred rat terriers and may have attended dog shows together. The investigation was also aided by the issuance of an AMBER alert to enlist the public's help, DNA testing to confirm the infant's identity, and the enormous amount of media attention.

It was speculated that Montgomery's motivation stemmed from a miscarriage she may have suffered and subsequently concealed from her family. How or whether Montgomery had recently become pregnant is unclear. Montgomery's former husband has since told authorities that she underwent a tubal ligation in 1990, and that she had a history of falsely telling acquaintances that she was pregnant.

Montgomery had four children until 1990, when she underwent a tubal ligation. Montgomery falsely claimed to be pregnant several times after the procedure, according to both her first and second spouses.

Bobbie Jo Stinnett (December 4, 1981 – December 16, 2004) was a 23-year-old American pregnant woman found murdered in her home in Skidmore, Missouri. The accused, Lisa M. Montgomery, then 36, was convicted of strangling Stinnett from behind and then removing the woman's unborn child, eight months into gestation, from her womb. The child was later safely recovered by authorities.

Lisa Montgomery was born February 27, 1968, and resided in Melvern, Kansas, at the time of the murder. She was raised in a "chaotic" home where she was raped by her stepfather for many years. She sought escape mentally by drinking alcohol. When Montgomery was 14, her mother discovered the abuse, but reacted by threatening her daughter with a gun. She tried to escape this situation by marrying at the age of 18, but both this marriage and a second marriage resulted in further abuse.

Montgomery was charged with the federal offense of "kidnapping resulting in death," a crime established by the Federal Kidnapping Act of 1932, and described in Title 18 of the United States Code. If convicted, she faced a sentence of life imprisonment or the death penalty.