Lisa Montgomery was executed in 2021, years after being convicted of murdering Bobbie Jo Stinnett in 2004. She had kidnapped Stinnett’s unborn baby, who survived and was safely returned to her family. Montgomery’s 2007 conviction for murder and kidnapping led to a death sentence that drew national attention due to her mental health history.
Her attorneys argued that she was mentally incompetent to be executed, citing brain damage and trauma, and a federal judge briefly delayed the execution to review her condition. However, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that decision, allowing the execution to proceed. Montgomery, aged 52, was put to death by lethal injection in Terre Haute, Indiana, on January 13, 2021.
Her lawyer, Kelley Henry, condemned the decision as unjust, emphasizing Montgomery’s fragile mental state. The case reignited debate over mental illness and the death penalty, particularly for women. Montgomery’s execution—the first of a U.S. woman in nearly 70 years—remains a powerful and divisive moment in the national discussion about justice, mercy, and accountability.
