Slain-Mom, Stolen-Fetus Trial Underway

Coroner: Pregnant Woman Whose Baby Was Cut From Her Womb Tried To Defend Herself

(AP)  A pregnant woman whose 8-month-old fetus was crudely cut from her womb tried to defend herself from her attacker before she was strangled, a medical examiner testified Friday.

In the second day of testimony in the federal trial of Lisa Montgomery, coroner Miguel Laboy showed jurors several photographs taken during the autopsy of Bobbie Jo Stinnett.

The photos showed what Laboy called defensive wounds on her hands, face and elbows. Jurors also saw graphic photos of where the baby was cut from Stinnett's body.

Montgomery, 39, is accused of strangling Stinnett, 23, on Dec. 16, 2004 and using a kitchen knife to cut the baby from her womb. The baby, Victoria Jo Stinnett, survived and is now almost 3 years old.

Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty if Montgomery is convicted. The trial is expected to take at least three weeks.

Defense attorney Frederick Duchardt Jr. told the jury Thursday the defense would not deny Montgomery's involvement in Stinnett's death. But he said Montgomery suffered from mental illnesses, including post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by years of abuse as a teen.

Duchardt also told the jury in his opening statement that Montgomery has a condition called pseudocyesis, in which a woman falsely believes she is pregnant and can exhibit some of the outward signs of pregnancy.

It was those mental illnesses, compounded by a brewing custody battle with her former husband over their four children, that pushed Montgomery to killing Stinnett, Duchardt said.

Federal prosecutor Matt J. Whitworth said in his opening statement that Montgomery planned the crime in advance. He depicted a desperate struggle between Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, and Montgomery, citing testimony from law enforcement officers, medical personnel, neighbors and family.

“This defendant spent a great deal of time planning this crime,” Whitworth said as he detailed Montgomery's computer searches on Web sites about how to perform Caesarean sections and home births.

Nodaway County Sheriff Ben Espey, the first law enforcement officer to respond to an emergency call at Stinnett's home, testified as the prosecution began presenting its case Thursday.

“You could see swirls in the floor in the blood, showing there was a struggle,” he said. “Bobbie Jo had jagged wounds on her lower abdomen. I noticed her stomach had been jaggedly cut open and some intestines were protruding from the body.”

On cross-examination, however, the defense team sought to whittle away at the idea that Montgomery and Stinnett fought after Montgomery had been cut open.

Espey acknowledged that his original report on the case said Stinnett was found lying “in a pool of blood” and did not mention patterns in the blood that would have suggested a long fight between Stinnett and Montgomery.

Defense attorney John O'Connor said two emergency workers who responded to the scene said they could have contributed to blood being splashed over the floor.

“It appeared to be a struggle,” O'Connor said. “But in fact the struggle was the emergency workers trying to save Bobbie Jo's life.”

[michellem99-2009]

Some women want a child for the state aid that child will bring. They don''t want the man. The baby for the aid.That aid is not much. Her tubes were fixed for a reason. Any woman that has been with child knows she has morning sickness and that is hell and her periods stop. That man must be a dumb asre not was know and she can''t fake it. There are women so hard up for a child they will steal them. My foster parents would never allow my parents to see me and they would not allow me to use my family surname. I was never allowed my freedom as they were scared they might find me. That was an awful way to live. That check the state got each mounth meant more than my needs and happiness. That woman has no rights that killes that woman for that baby. Did a man help her.

[toldyouso21]

Even if the killer is really mentally ill--for such a heinous act, she does not deserve to remain in society or alive. Think if it this way...if she is really mentally ill, then she will never really know the state killed her and she will never realize she is on death row. She can just continue to live in the "state of denial" even after the state injects her.

Some things need killing.

[Krazcarl]

M99 your quite a lady and intelliget to boot. I''ll be honest I''m with health problems and couldn''t gaurentee I''ll be aroumd or able to raise children down the road so it''s not a concideration at this point did cost me my last ladyfriend though. People should only have children cause they can raise them properly. Isn''t this woman sane enough to to know what she was doing was wrong if she was able to carry out the attack sounds she wanted to keep a man?

[michellem99-2009]

I had myself fixed years ago as for health reasons that was best. I never wanted children as I could not give them a home and being poor and multi handicapped it was best to be fixed. I am 53. The fact is their are women that need to be fixed or they will have baby afther baby that may be abused,or can''t properly care for. crzmeat hang her in the town sq. I don''t care if they be mental ill..they did the crime. I am a Mainer.

[michellem99-2009]

crzmeat,yep..some women can''t handle the fact they can''t bear a child and they go to this?? Hang her up. It never bothered me that for health reasons I could not have children. That is life. They push the message so strong when they give little girls baby like dolls to play Mum. Little girl can''t wait to bear a child when able. They will. Mum was 16..A child. A baby they think make them grown up..Not so. A baby surely they think will keep a man. Not so. My step father wanted nothing to do with us as we were not his. I was about 5 or 6. He told Mum* their yer ex husband''s and they are not living under my roof*. I was put on the town. As a legally blind person, it makes no sense she stael a baby not hers, and kill the Mum to be. Children don''t make yer a woman or a Mum.

[kailumego1]

This is savage and barbaric, this woman should get the death penalty, "quickly".....

[Krazcarl]

My gosh she looks evil it''s like looking at the devil himself!!!!

[zootallures2]

Barbarric!

[likeitis5050]

If she suffered from a condition that made her believe she was pregnant, why did she need to cut a baby from someone else''s womb? This woman knew she was not pregnant, but pretended to be pregnant to keep her husband obligated to stay with her. The rest is history. It was carefully premeditated and carried out. No one who does something like this is in their right mind, but prisons are full of people waiting to die for murders they committed in less vicious and calculating ways. She needs to fry.

[erasmus6]

"We live in a world where more and more women are unaccompanied at odd hours, or they are vulnerable in dangerous places - a world where restraining orders are often ineffective and the police cannot be counted upon to arrive in time, if at all. In such a world, women must be able to protect themselves. In terms of both deterrence and lethal force, guns are among the most effective tools available for self-defense." --Mary Zeiss Stange, "Guns, like abortion, are a matter of choice." posted by GunOwnerDan,GUNOWNERDAN,gunownerdan and gUnOwNeRdAn

blah, blah, blah.

HE"S BAAAAAAAACK!

Actually he just never seems to go away. He looks for any excuse to push having a gun. GET A LIFE!!

[incog-nito]

Klingon69: I would think that somebody with pseudocyesis, who falsely thinks they''re pregrant, wouldn''t go and kill someone to get their baby. In order to do that you would have to know you''re NOT pregnant and it''s SOMEONE ELSE''s baby you''re after.

[Krazcarl]

I''m normaly on the fence with capital punishment but in this case does anyone have any rope I''n tired of our society sucking up to the mentaly ill if I was this ill please shoot me so I never hurt anyone it''s that simple,

[gunownerdan]

"We live in a world where more and more women are unaccompanied at odd hours, or they are vulnerable in dangerous places - a world where restraining orders are often ineffective and the police cannot be counted upon to arrive in time, if at all. In such a world, women must be able to protect themselves. In terms of both deterrence and lethal force, guns are among the most effective tools available for self-defense." --Mary Zeiss Stange, "Guns, like abortion, are a matter of choice"

Self Defense
a-human-right.com

Second Amendment Sisters
http://www.2asisters.org/

Women To Arms
http://womentoarms.net/

[klingon69]

Duchardt also told the jury in his opening statement that Montgomery has a condition called pseudocyesis, in which a woman falsely believes she is pregnant and can exhibit some of the outward signs of pregnancy.

Actually, this is a real medical condition. A friends guardian suffered from this to the detriment of her health and marriage. She looked to be 7-9 month pregnant, had no menses, had morning sickness...etc. Amazing.