US: Judge halts execution of Lisa Montgomery, only woman on death row in nearly 70 years

US federal judge has granted a stay on execution of Lisa Montgomery, only woman on federal death row in nearly seven deces citing need to determine Montgomery's mental state. decision came a few hours before she was due to be executed. Lisa Montgomery h committed a gruesome crime of strangling a pregnant woman with a rope before performing a cesarean with a kitchen knife and fleeing with baby.  

Judge James Patrick Hanlon, of District Court for Sourn District of Indiana reportedly said in order granting stay, "Ms. Montgomery's motion to stay execution is GRANTED to allow Court to conduct a hearing to determine Ms. Montgomery's competence to be executed." Date has t been set for competency hearing. On January 12, Montgomery was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. w, prosecutors have filed a tice appealing judges ruling just hours before execution on Tuesday (local time). 

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Montgomery’s family pleed Trump

As per CNN report, Montgomery’s friends and family along with or supporters have pleed outgoing US President Donald Trump to go through clemency petition and make an executive decision and commute her sentence to lie without possibility of parole. She was sentenced to death in 2008 by Missouri jury for murder of a pregnant woman in 2004 and kidnapping baby. baby reportedly survived. 

Montgomery’s attorney, Kelley Henry reportedly welcomed decision and said that “ court was right to stop Lisa Montgomery's execution”. Henry furr ded, “As court found, Mrs. Montgomery 'me a strong showing' of her current incompetence to be executed. Mrs. Montgomery has brain dam and severe mental illness that was exacerbated by lifetime of sexual torture she suffered at hands of caretakers.” 

Montgomery’s attorney said she was suffering from severe mental illness at time of murder. ted that Eighth Amendment stops execution of people such as her, who fail to understand basis for ir executions due to brain dam or mental illness. Henry reportedly said, “Mrs. Montgomery is mentally deteriorating and we are seeking an opportunity to prove her incompetence.”

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Im: AP