Redwood Asylum

Laura Winterbottom's Killer: Guilty, Guilty, Guilty

Gerald Montgomery, who murdered Laura Winterbottom over 2 years ago, was finally sentenced today. He will serve a minimum of 43 years for the three charges of kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and first-degree murder. Judge Michael Kupersmith, while imposing the sentence, told Montgomery, "You are unfit to live among civilized people."

Laura's spirit lives on in the hearts of those who loved her. Please make a donation in her honor to the Laura Kate Winterbottom Memorial Fund.

• Burlington Free Press, morning (414K PDF)


• Burlington Free Press, afternoon (327K PDF)


• WCAX-TV (277K PDF)

Laura’s March: A Walk to End Violence Against Women

From the Winterbottom family:

"On September 8, 2007, the Laura Kate Winterbottom Memorial Fund is having a fundraising event, Laura's March: A Walk to End Violence Against Women. For this 5K walk (runners are welcomed to participate, too), the LKW Fund is partnering with two community organizations deeply committed to helping victims of abuse and violence.

The money we raise for Laura's March is going toward two exceptionally worthwhile projects. One is Women Helping Battered Women's 8-week program designed to teach elementary school children affected by domestic violence how to deal with their emotions and develop appropriate coping skills. The LKW Fund will purchase kits to be used as teaching tools in schools identified as needing them. Similarly, we are sponsoring a weekend-long healing retreat offered by the Women's Rape Crisis Center for victims of sexual violence. This retreat will accommodate up to ten women and two facilitators.

We look upon Laura's March as a wonderful opportunity to bring community, friends, and family together to remember Laura in her birthday month in a manner she would have loved and for a worthy cause, supporting programs that seek to end violence against women and address its consequences using constructive, restorative ways.

The Bike Path and Oakledge Park were selected for Laura's March because Laura was a frequent visitor to both. On the Bike Path, she could be observed enjoying a ride, a run, or just a pleasant walk. At Oakledge Park, she could be observed at a cook-out with friends, taking a swim, or playing tennis with her family."

For more information about Laura's March and how to support it, please visit www.lkwfund.org.

Accused Killer Returns To Court

Gerald Montgomery, accused in the murder of Laura Winterbottom, returns to court in Burlington, Vermont on Friday.

• WCAX-TV #1 (235K PDF)


• WCAX-TV #2 (239K PDF)


• Burlington Free Press #1 (438K PDF)


• Burlington Free Press #2 (510K PDF)

Laura Kate Winterbottom Fund

The Laura K. Winterbottom Fund site is now live. Please help support this fund, established to remember Laura Winterbottom and the causes which meant so much to her. The LKW fund site includes photos of Laura, samples of her artwork, and poems written in her memory. Please consider a tax deductible donation to this non-profit foundation supporting local organizations in Burlington as well as the greater Vermont area.

Laura Winterbottom, Two Sad Years Ago

In quiet rememberance of Laura's murder two years ago.

Laura Winterbottom's killer ruled competent to stand trial

"Murder suspect Gerald Montgomery, the man accused of last year's rape and killing of Burlington resident Laura Winterbottom, is mentally fit to stand trial, a Vermont District Court judge has ruled. Judge Michael Kupersmith made his decision Thursday after Montgomery's defense team conceded that he is competent, according to court documents..."

• Burlington Free Press, 4/15/06
• Local backup copy [pdf]

Witnesses describe Laura Winterbottom's killer as mentally fit

"Four prosecution witnesses testified Thursday that murder suspect Gerald Montgomery seemed mentally healthy in the years and days before his March 2005 arrest on suspicion of killing Burlington resident Laura Winterbottom."

• Burlington Free Press, 3/31/06
• Local backup copy [pdf]

Laura Winterbottom's Killer Challenges Psychiatric Findings

"Police say Gerald Montgomery, 34, killed Laura Winterbottom. But for a year lawyers have sparred over Montgomery's mental competence to stand trial."

• WCAX-TV, 3/30/06
• Local backup copy [pdf]

Killer Of Laura Winterbottom Fit For Trial

"Murder suspect Gerald Montgomery, the man accused of last year's rape and killing of [Laura Winterbottom] , is mentally fit to stand trial, two state-appointed psychiatrists have asserted."

• Burlington Free Press, direct link
  • local backup [pdf]

Family Keeps Laura Winterbottom's Memory Alive In Vermont

"The Laura Kate Winterbottom Memorial Fund began in November and has collected about about $10,000. It gave three $1,000 donations in recent months to the Burlington City of Arts' Art from the Heart Program, the Vermont Institute for Natural Science and Vermont's Women Helping Battered Women program, which provides shelter and support for women who have been abused."

• The Journal News, full article [pdf]

Laura Winterbottom, One Year To Remember

We quietly remember the tragic passing of Laura Winterbottom one year ago.

Laura Winterbottom Murder Suspect Needs No More Mental Treatment

"A Vermont State Hospital psychiatrist has determined that Burlington murder suspect Gerald Montgomery no longer needs care at the facility. The diagnosis prompt- ed a judge to order -- over defense objections -- that Montgomery undergo a new psychological evaluation next week to determine his competency to stand trial."

• Burlington Free Press, full article [pdf]

Laura Winterbottom Fund Helps Burlington

"Donations in Laura Winterbottom's name were recently given to the Art From the Heart program at Burlington City Arts and Women Helping Battered Women. Winterbottom had been a volunteer with Art From the Heart, which works with pediatric patients at Fletcher Allen Health Care."

• Burlington Free Press, full article [pdf]

Memorial Fund For Laura Winterbottom

From a letter received 12/15/05, posted with the permission of the Winterbottom family:

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you for your love and support over the course of 2005 and your thoughtful words and gestures. We are thinking especially about our beloved Laura in this season.

We have received many questions about the status of the Laura Kate Winterbottom Memorial Fund and we are pleased to announce that the foundation was given tax-exempt status by the IRS. We are now able to begin making monetary gifts to various organizations, such as the Rape Crisis Center, Humane Society, Burlington City Arts, Audubon Society, and other organizations that support causes close to Laura's heart. If you have already made a donation, we thank you again. Any donation made to the fund can be claimed on your income taxes. You will receive a statement for that purpose from the foundation.

We understand that not everyone is inclined, or perhaps able, to make charitable contributions. However, if you are, we ask that you consider putting Laura's foundation on your gift-giving list. Checks should be made payable to the Laura Kate Winterbottom Fund and sent to P.O. Box 65176, Burlington, VT 05401. [Address edited 3/9/2006]

Your generosity will enable us to help others and, by doing so, honor the memory of Laura. Laura had a kind and generous spirit. By giving to the causes she cared about, it is the hope of those who loved and knew her that her spirit will live on in the good works we want to do. In the spirit of the Christmas season, we wish you joy and peace.

Sincerely,

JoAnn, Ned, Leigh, and Aaron
The Winterbottom Family

Laura Winterbottom Index Page

I created a separate category regarding the March 2005 murder of Laura Winterbottom in Burlington Vermont and added several back-dated posts.