KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A woman who claimed she was having delusions when she killed a pregnant woman and cut the baby from her womb was found guilty of kidnapping.
Lisa Montgomery, 39, was convicted of kidnapping resulting in death for the Dec. 16, 2004 attack on Bobbie Jo Stinett, 23, in Skidmore, Mo. The baby has been reunited with the family. The penalty phase will begin today and is expected the last two days. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Montgomery claimed she was suffering from pseudocyesis, a condition that causes a woman to believe she is pregnant. Prosecutors argued that Montgomery killed Stinett because she was afraid her ex-husband would find out she was lying about being pregnant and use it against her in a custody battle for their four children.
Skidmore, a northwest Missouri town of 350 people, has a particularly violent history. The most notable crime occurred in 1981 when Ken Rex McElroy, known as the Skidmore Bully, was shot to death in his truck by a mob of people. His death and the town's silence about who the trigger-man was inspired the book "In Broad Daylight."
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