As the execution process began, a female officer leaned in over Lisa Montgomery’s shoulder, gently removed her mask, and asked if she had any final words. “No,” Montgomery whispered, her voice soft but unforgettable. That single word marked the end of one of the most disturbing and complex chapters in modern American criminal history.
On January 13, 2021, after nearly two decades of legal battles and national debate, 52-year-old Lisa Montgomery became the first woman executed by the U.S. federal government in almost 70 years. Her death came by lethal injection after years of mental health evaluations, failed appeals, and divided public opinion.
Montgomery’s crime, committed in December 2004, shocked the nation. She posed as a customer interested in buying a dog from 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant. Under the pretense of picking up a puppy, Montgomery drove to Skidmore, Missouri, entered Stinnett’s home, and strangled her unconscious. She then used a knife to cut the unborn baby from her womb.
Stinnett did not survive. Miraculously, the baby girl did.
Montgomery, pretending the infant was her own, made calls to family announcing the birth. Authorities tracked her down the next day, rescuing the baby and arresting Montgomery. The brutality of the crime sent ripples across the country—and ignited a legal and moral battle that would last over 15 years.
Montgomery’s defense centered on her mental health. Her life story was one of sustained, unimaginable trauma. She had suffered years of sexual abuse, beatings, and psychological neglect. According to her sister, Diane Mattingly, “She hadn’t just suffered—she had been tortured.” Medical evaluations revealed Lisa suffered from psychosis, bipolar disorder, and complex PTSD. Brain scans showed damage consistent with long-term trauma.
Despite these diagnoses, the jury sentenced her to death in 2007. Legal teams would spend years pleading for reconsideration, citing her mental illness and a constitutional argument that a person incapable of rational understanding should not be executed.
Her case gained renewed attention in 2020 when the Trump administration resumed federal executions. Lisa’s execution was delayed twice—once due to COVID-19 among her lawyers, and again for a competency hearing. Ultimately, the Supreme Court cleared the way, and in the early hours of January 13, Montgomery was put to death.
She died in silence, aside from her quiet refusal to speak—a final act that left a lasting impression on those present.
Her execution reignited fierce debate across the country. Advocates questioned whether justice was truly served or if a broken woman had been further failed by a system meant to protect the vulnerable. Before Montgomery, the last federally executed woman was Bonnie Heady in 1953, put to death in a gas chamber. For 17 years prior to 2020, federal executions had been on pause.
Lisa Montgomery’s story continues to raise difficult questions: Can someone so deeply damaged by life ever be fully accountable for their actions? Is the death penalty appropriate in cases where severe mental illness plays such a significant role? And what does it say about our justice system when execution feels more like punishment for being broken than for the crime itself?
Montgomery’s final word wasn’t loud. But it echoes still—through courtrooms, prisons, and homes where people continue to wrestle with the meaning of justice, mercy, and accountability.
