A federal appeals court in Washington, DC has suspended the execution of a death row prisoner, scheduled to be executed later this month.
Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row, was scheduled to die by lethal injection in December, but a federal judge ordered a postponement.
Lisa Montgomery, 52, is the only woman on federal death row who was sentenced to be executed by lethal injection on January 12. But on Christmas Eve, a federal court suspended the following date, alleging that it violated federal regulations that constitute procedures for the execution of the death penalty.
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It is now due to be executed on January 12, but new judicial remedies are expected to be filed on Saturday.
Montgomery killed a pregnant woman from Missouri in 2003, taking the girl out of the womb and later tried to claim the child as his own.
Kelley Henry, one of the convicted murderer’s lawyers, told Fox News that she contracted the coronavirus in November when she visited Montgomery, delaying the preparation of her clemency case. The legal team argues that Montgomery suffers from a mental illness induced by a childhood of rape and rampant abuse.
Henry, a Nashville public defender, said, “She is under suicide watch and has received the highest mental health designation.”
Fox News reporter Hollie McKay contributed to this report.