Melvern resident Lisa Montgomery won’t face federal execution Tuesday for killing a Missouri woman over 15 years ago.
A federal judge granted a stay late Monday, saying he needs to determine Montgomery’s mental state before deciding how the case can proceed.
Montgomery, now 52, killed Bobbie Jo Stinnett in December 2004 after Montgomery drove to Missouri, ostensibly to buy a puppy. Montgomery cut Stinnett’s baby from the womb and tried to pass the baby off as her own but later confessed to the crime. She was convicted in 2007.
Montgomery’s case has seen a lot of twists just over the last month. Her execution was originally set for Dec. 8, but her attorneys successfully requested a new schedule after coming down with coronavirus. The Justice Department then set an execution date for Tuesday, but a federal judge vacated that date because it set while the case was being stayed. The District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision and reinstated the execution date.
