US executes 'womb raider' who strangled to death pregnant mother

The execution makes Lisa Montgomery the first female federal inmate to be put to death by the US government in 67 years.

A 52-year-old murderer has become the first woman to be executed in the United States in almost 70 years.

Lisa Montgomery, the only female inmate on federal death row, was put to death by lethal injection at a prison in Terre Haute, Indiana Wednesday morning.

In 2007 she was found guilty of strangling to death a pregnant woman before cutting out and kidnapping her baby.

The execution makes Montgomery the first female federal inmate to be put to death by the US government in 67 years.

On Tuesday, a judge granted her a stay of execution, saying she was too mentally ill to understand why she was being executed - however that stay was then overturned by the US Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court lifted stays of execution imposed by three different federal appeals courts to allow the United States to kill Lisa Montgomery last night. She was pronounced dead at 1:31 am. https://t.co/YuHo5C0a84

— The Appeal (@theappeal) January 13, 2021

In yet another after-midnight ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the federal government to proceed with Lisa Montgomery’s execution immediately. This decision will forever be a scarlet letter for the SCOTUS — a complete failure to protect our most vulnerable citizens.

— Sister Helen Prejean (@helenprejean) January 13, 2021

Montgomery was the first of the final three federal inmates scheduled to die before next week’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to discontinue federal executions.

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