Stinnett Probably Regained Consciousness After Attack, Pathologist Testifies

Oct 06, 05:14 AM

Current Headlines: By Mark Morris, The Kansas City Star, Mo.

Oct. 6--Bobbie Jo Stinnett probably regained consciousness as her assailant cut into her abdomen to steal her unborn baby, a pathologist testified in federal court Friday.

Stinnett probably passed out when her attacker choked her from behind with a rope but became lucid when the attacker loosened the rope and began cutting, said Mary Case, the chief medical examiner for St. Louis County.

Lisa Montgomery, a Melvern, Kan., housewife and dog breeder, is accused of strangling Stinnett in her Skidmore, Mo., home and using a kitchen knife to cut the baby from her womb.

The baby, Victoria Jo, survived. Authorities recovered her at Montgomery's home on Dec. 17, 2004, the day after her mother was killed.

Case said she based her conclusion on autopsy photos of Stinnett's feet. Blood, which could only have come from the wound on Stinnett's abdomen, had seeped up between her toes and covered the tops of her feet, Case said.

"This indicates she stepped in blood on the floor," Case said. "To step in blood she would have to be conscious."

Case also identified numerous defensive wounds, including cuts and scrapes, on Stinnett's hands and forearms, indicating that she had tried to fight.

Attorneys for Montgomery have conceded that she killed Stinnett and kidnapped her baby, but they contend that she suffered from a mental illness that made her incapable of understanding the wrongness of her actions. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty if the jury finds Montgomery guilty.

A doctor who conducted the original autopsy, Miguel Laboy, testified earlier Friday that eight jagged cuts to Stinnett's abdomen exposed her uterus.

Also Friday, jurors heard testimony from a Kansas City man who unwittingly put Montgomery on the path to Stinnett's home. Jason Dawson for years ran Web sites that catered to fanciers of rat terriers, which both Stinnett and Montgomery bred.

Dawson said he knew both women.

Stinnett came to Montgomery's defense when Dawson removed a listing for Montgomery's kennel from one of his Web sites.

"Bobbie was a sweet spirit," Dawson said. "She was kind and gave Lisa the benefit of the doubt."

Dawson said that in December 2004 he began exchanging Internet instant messages with a mysterious Englishwoman living in Fairfax, Mo., who wanted a puppy for her children.

The woman identified herself as Darlene Fischer, which investigators later determined was an alias for Montgomery.

The woman said she was hesitant to contact Stinnett by telephone because her accent was difficult to understand.

Dawson said he connected Stinnett and "Fischer" over the Internet, and Stinnett agreed to sell her a puppy.

Dawson said he felt betrayed and sickened when he learned that Stinnett had been killed.

"She was an incredible young lady," Dawson said. "It yanked everything in my heart right out. It was shocking and wrong."

The trial will resume Tuesday.

To contact Mark Morris call 816-234-4310 or send e-mail to mmorris@kcstar.com.

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