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American Morning
Man Accused of Abandoning Stepson Possible Suspect in Wife's Disappearance
Aired January 31, 2003 - 07:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The man accused of abandoning his stepson at a Utah department store is now a possible suspect in his wife's disappearance. Lyle Montgomery has been charged with misdemeanor child abuse. Authorities say he was caught on tape last Saturday going into the Salt Lake City department store with 3-year- old Jonathan Jacob Corpuz, his stepson, and leaving minutes later without him.
As for the boy's missing mother, police in Nevada say that after searching Montgomery's home, they are now treating the case as a homicide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF JERRY HOOVER, RENO, NEVADA POLICE: Evidence that we have discovered during the search warrant, and, again, I can't discuss what that evidence is, but it would certainly lead us to believe that there was foul play.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Well, among some of that evidence, we have learned that handguns were found and knives and other things that we're going to hear more about this morning.
But just a little bit earlier this morning, I spoke with Lyle Montgomery's attorney, Marc Picker.
And I asked him what he thinks has happened to Mr. Montgomery's wife.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC PICKER, ATTORNEY FOR LYLE MONTGOMERY: Well, I don't know what's happened to Mrs. Montgomery and I don't think the Reno Police Department knows what has happened to Mrs. Montgomery. She certainly has a history of disappearing, not telling anybody and then reappearing. I think it's very premature for the police department to make a claim that they're treating the case as a homicide when they really have no evidence to support that kind of conclusion.
ZAHN: According to "USA Today," you acknowledge that Jonathan's mother actually brought a criminal charge against your client back in October accusing him of beating her, pointing a gun at her, threatening to kill her and preventing her from leaving her home. She has not been seen since January 13. You have to acknowledge this doesn't look too good for your client.
PICKER: Well, certainly taken that way it doesn't. But the actual case in October of last year didn't involve any physical contact between Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery other than her stabbing him in the hand. He is accused, then, of holding a gun to hear head in the same room with her son. But that was after she had broken in the front doors of his house, which she admitted to doing, kicking in the front doors and removing personal property.
They then get into an argument. My client denies that he ever pulled a gun on her. And my understanding is even though she hasn't been seen in the Reno area since January 13, she talked to her -- which we all believed her ex-husband -- last week on the 21st of January, although now I'm informed that she never divorced from that husband and that when she married my client, she committed the crime of bigamy.
ZAHN: Let me ask you this, there is a report in the "Salt Lake Tribune" this morning that your client, although he just married Mrs. Montgomery or Janette Corpuz, months ago, that he told one of his friends he was contemplating a divorce and he wanted her to move away.
Is that true?
PICKER: I don't have any knowledge to that effect.
ZAHN: What has your client told you about his wife?
PICKER: Well, they, I've had very limited conversations with Mr. Montgomery. He's been hospitalized since two nights ago. He was not in very good condition when I spoke to him yesterday and so he couldn't answer a lot of questions.
ZAHN: Had he tried to commit suicide?
PICKER: No, I don't believe so. I believe that it was just a very bad miscalculation of taking some prescription medicine and possibly an interaction with alcohol.
ZAHN: Do you know what kind of drugs he took?
PICKER: My understanding is it was valium.
ZAHN: He remains hospitalized.
We'll have more on this story in the next hour.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Wife's Disappearance>
Aired January 31, 2003 - 07:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The man accused of abandoning his stepson at a Utah department store is now a possible suspect in his wife's disappearance. Lyle Montgomery has been charged with misdemeanor child abuse. Authorities say he was caught on tape last Saturday going into the Salt Lake City department store with 3-year- old Jonathan Jacob Corpuz, his stepson, and leaving minutes later without him.
As for the boy's missing mother, police in Nevada say that after searching Montgomery's home, they are now treating the case as a homicide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF JERRY HOOVER, RENO, NEVADA POLICE: Evidence that we have discovered during the search warrant, and, again, I can't discuss what that evidence is, but it would certainly lead us to believe that there was foul play.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Well, among some of that evidence, we have learned that handguns were found and knives and other things that we're going to hear more about this morning.
But just a little bit earlier this morning, I spoke with Lyle Montgomery's attorney, Marc Picker.
And I asked him what he thinks has happened to Mr. Montgomery's wife.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC PICKER, ATTORNEY FOR LYLE MONTGOMERY: Well, I don't know what's happened to Mrs. Montgomery and I don't think the Reno Police Department knows what has happened to Mrs. Montgomery. She certainly has a history of disappearing, not telling anybody and then reappearing. I think it's very premature for the police department to make a claim that they're treating the case as a homicide when they really have no evidence to support that kind of conclusion.
ZAHN: According to "USA Today," you acknowledge that Jonathan's mother actually brought a criminal charge against your client back in October accusing him of beating her, pointing a gun at her, threatening to kill her and preventing her from leaving her home. She has not been seen since January 13. You have to acknowledge this doesn't look too good for your client.
PICKER: Well, certainly taken that way it doesn't. But the actual case in October of last year didn't involve any physical contact between Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery other than her stabbing him in the hand. He is accused, then, of holding a gun to hear head in the same room with her son. But that was after she had broken in the front doors of his house, which she admitted to doing, kicking in the front doors and removing personal property.
They then get into an argument. My client denies that he ever pulled a gun on her. And my understanding is even though she hasn't been seen in the Reno area since January 13, she talked to her -- which we all believed her ex-husband -- last week on the 21st of January, although now I'm informed that she never divorced from that husband and that when she married my client, she committed the crime of bigamy.
ZAHN: Let me ask you this, there is a report in the "Salt Lake Tribune" this morning that your client, although he just married Mrs. Montgomery or Janette Corpuz, months ago, that he told one of his friends he was contemplating a divorce and he wanted her to move away.
Is that true?
PICKER: I don't have any knowledge to that effect.
ZAHN: What has your client told you about his wife?
PICKER: Well, they, I've had very limited conversations with Mr. Montgomery. He's been hospitalized since two nights ago. He was not in very good condition when I spoke to him yesterday and so he couldn't answer a lot of questions.
ZAHN: Had he tried to commit suicide?
PICKER: No, I don't believe so. I believe that it was just a very bad miscalculation of taking some prescription medicine and possibly an interaction with alcohol.
ZAHN: Do you know what kind of drugs he took?
PICKER: My understanding is it was valium.
ZAHN: He remains hospitalized.
We'll have more on this story in the next hour.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Wife's Disappearance>
