12/28/04 11:00am

Lisa Montgomery, 36, the woman from Melvern, Kansas accused of strangling Bobby Jo Stinnet and ripping her unborn child from her body is due in court today in Kansas City, Missouri. It will be the first of many hearings for Montgomery and will determine whether she is released or remains behind bars pending indictment and the progress of her trial should it get that far. Montgomery waived a preliminary hearing in Kansas last Thursday. She faces federal charges of kidnapping resulting in death.

As yet, Montgomery has not been assigned a Public Defender nor has she decided to hire an attorney on her own. If she intends to mount a defense, most legal observers believe the first battle, and the one likely to determine whether her defense ends before it has a chance to begin, is whether her confession to the crimes will stand or if it is deemed inadmissible. Several legal experts have said that suppressing confessions such as Montgomery's is very difficult.

The case has a long way to go before a trial would start. The next grand jury in Kansas City does not meet until some time in January. If the grand jury indicts Montgomery, she would subsequently have the chance to enter a plea.

Bobbie Jo Stinnet was murdered December 16th. The baby taken from her body, since named Victoria Jo Stinnet, was found alive the next day with Montgomery and her husband, Kevin, in Melvern. The baby remains in good health and went home with the baby’s father, Zeb Stinnet.