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A woman accused of killing a pregnant woman and cutting the baby from her womb was sentenced to death for the crime by a Missouri jury. Lisa Montgomery, 39, was convicted of strangling Bobby Jo Stinnet, 23, at her home on December 16, 2004. She then cut out Bobby Jo's baby and tried to pass it off as her own, authorities say.
Lisa had apparently been lying to friends and family about being pregnant. Her ex-husband had planned to use those lies to gain custody of the children, according to emails recovered on her computer.
A custody hearing had been set for January 25, 2005. Her ex-husband, Carol Boman testified at trial that Lisa had called him the day before Stinnet was killed, saying that she would prove him wrong.
Prosecutors presented evidence at the trial that Montgomery had searched the Internet for information on caesarean sections, birth certificates, and had looked into several hospitals, including one where she later claimed to give birth. They also found web searches for information on Stinnet, including pictures of herself and ultrasound pictures of her baby. Montgomery and Stinnet both shared an interest in dog breeding, and prosecutors allege that Lisa used this to set up a meeting with Stinnet, under the guise of adopting a rat terrier puppy.
When investigators went to Montgomery's home in Melvin, Kansas on December 17, 2004, (a day after the murder), they found her sitting on a couch holding a baby. Montgomery initially denied knowing anything about the murder of the missing baby, but later admitted that police "had Bobby Jo's baby."
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