Jurors Hear Emergency Calls in Penalty Phase of Woman's Murder Trial

Oct 24, 08:30 PM

Current Headlines: KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ In between gruesome details barked out to an emergency dispatcher, Becky Harper stopped to plead with the cold and lifeless body of her daughter, Bobbie Jo Stinnett.

"Bobbie Jo, please," she said, her voice captured on tape by the Nodaway County Sheriff's Department. "C'mon baby, please . . . c'mon baby, wake up."

Jurors heard the 911 tapes Wednesday as the penalty phase of Lisa Montgomery's federal death penalty trial opened in downtown Kansas City.

The penalty phase's closing arguments are slated for Thursday morning, after which the case _ and Montgomery's fate _ will be turned back over to the jury.

Earlier in the week, the same jurors convicted Montgomery of strangling Stinnett in December 2004 and cutting Stinnett's unborn daughter from her womb.

Montgomery's defense had argued that the Melvern, Kan., woman suffered mental diseases that left her unable to determine that what she was doing was wrong. The insanity defense failed at trial, but Montgomery's defense team began waging much the same battle during Wednesday's hearing to save the defendant from a lethal injection.

The defense also keyed in on Montgomery's reportedly rough upbringing, noting that she was abandoned by her biological father and purportedly sexually abused by a stepfather.

If the jury fails to unanimously opt for the death penalty, Montgomery will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The prosecution cited potential aggravating factors that the government maintains makes the crime eligible for the death penalty, including the brutal nature of the murder and the fact that Stinnett died during the act of kidnapping.

The government's case on Wednesday otherwise focused on the effect of Stinnett's slaying on her family members.

Zeb Stinnett, the husband of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, told the jury that Stinnett's killing in their Skidmore, Mo., home devastated his life.

"My world just crashed," he said.

In addition to talking to family members, prosecutors showed photos of Bobbie Jo Stinnett from her childhood through the few years of her marriage. They also showed pictures of the stacks of baby clothing she had accrued, sorted by age and stored in plastic containers in anticipation of the birth of her first child.

Zeb Stinnett said he still hasn't told Victoria Jo, now almost 3, what happened to her mother.

"Victoria reminds me a lot of Bobbie, and I wish she could have seen what her mom was like," said friend and cousin Mindy Winger.

Montgomery's family also took the stand Wednesday, with her husband, a sister and two of her daughters all pledging that they would maintain close ties with her if she receives a life sentence.

"I'm trying to support her, to make it easier for her," husband Kevin Montgomery testified. "She calls, and I just like to hear her voice. . . . I love her."

Dianne Hedberg, one of Montgomery's sisters, alleged that their mother was abusive and neglectful of her and her younger sisters, and eventually had Hedberg removed from her home.

"This is the first time I've seen her (Lisa) in over 35 years," Hedberg said. "My whole life, there's been a hole. And now I have my sister back, and I want that to stay."

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