CLEMENCY IN JEOPARDY

Lawyers for Mentally Ill Woman on Death Row Get COVID-19 Weeks Out From Execution Date

Efforts to stop Lisa Montgomery’s execution on December 8 have been thrown into disarray.

Less than a month before Lisa Montgomery—the only woman on federal death row—is set to be executed, two of her lawyers have tested positive for COVID-19, according to HuffPost. Kelley Henry and Amy Harwell are reportedly suffering from “headaches, chills, sweats, gastrointestinal distress, inability to focus, and impaired thinking and judgment,” according to a lawsuit filed Thursday asking for a stay of execution until they recover. The pair reportedly visited Montgomery in prison just a week before testing positive for the coronavirus.

Montgomery, the first woman to be on death row in nearly 70 years, is a victim of childhood abuse and sex trafficking and also suffers from severe mental illnesses. She was set to be executed on December 8 for the murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett in 2004. Her clemency application is due on November 15 and her lawyers argued it was vital they meet with Montgomery in person due to her mental status.