Ex-Boyfriend Convicted in Fatal Strangling of Virginia Mother While Her Toddler Slept Nearby

On Oct. 7, 2022, 28-year-old Katlyn Lyon Montgomery was found gravely injured in her second-floor Bedford County, Virginia, apartment. Doctors tried to save her, but she was declared brain dead the next day. Investigators concluded she had been strangled while her 4-year-old daughter, Milani, slept nearby.

Overview

Family members and friends remembered Katlyn as an energetic restaurant manager who loved music and fiercely cared for her daughter. The attack and its aftermath devastated her family, who later campaigned publicly for justice and for greater awareness of domestic violence.

Crime Scene and Medical Findings

Emergency responders initially considered an overdose, but physicians observed injuries to Katlyn’s neck and head inconsistent with a drug incident. Lead investigator Robbie Burnette documented two distinctive parallel marks on her neck that appeared shortly before she arrived at the hospital. Investigators also recovered a multiple charging-cord adapter from Katlyn’s bedding that they said was consistent with the marks on her neck. Because first responders and others had disturbed the apartment and bedding, detectives were unable to recover usable DNA or fingerprints from the scene.

Early Investigation: Roommate, Witness Accounts

Katlyn’s roommate, Jacob Piercy, found her and called 911. He performed CPR on Katlyn and cooperated with police interviews; early attention focused on him because he was the only other adult home that night. A family misunderstanding occurred when 4-year-old Milani mimicked chest compressions she had seen, initially leading some relatives to misinterpret her account. Investigators later concluded Milani had been reproducing CPR motions.

Digital Evidence and Focus on Ex-Boyfriend

Investigators shifted focus to Katlyn’s ex-boyfriend, Trenton Frye, after digital and witness evidence placed him near her apartment in the days before the killing. Prosecutors presented phone records showing Frye’s device pinged a Virginia cell tower beginning Oct. 4, neighbors recalled an unfamiliar man observed nearby on Oct. 6 (one neighbor took a photograph), and surveillance captured Frye’s SUV at a nearby gas station that evening.

Court testimony described a crucial Bluetooth connection: at 4:15 a.m. on Oct. 7—shortly after Katlyn and her daughter went to bed—Frye’s cellphone briefly connected to Katlyn’s iPad, which prosecutors argued placed his phone within feet of the device during the window of the assault. Prosecutors also described text messages and online searches that, they said, showed stalking behavior and consciousness of guilt.

Defense Arguments

Frye’s defense acknowledged he had been in the area but disputed that any evidence proved he entered the apartment and killed Katlyn. The defense highlighted the lack of DNA linking Frye to the scene, questioned whether the iPad connection proved indoor proximity (the iPad was later recovered at an aunt’s home), and suggested alternative explanations, including that the death could have been accidental or that another person might have been responsible.

Trial, Verdict, and Sentence

In March 2025, after hearing testimony about the physical injuries, witness observations, surveillance photos, phone-location data, and the Bluetooth connection, a jury found Trenton Frye guilty of first-degree murder. At sentencing, Judge James Updike Jr. described the attack as causing great terror and sentenced Frye to life in prison.

Aftermath and Family Response

Katlyn’s family has publicly memorialized her and turned to advocacy. Her mother, Crystal Sale, and sisters—Sherry Cox and Tina Hopkins—now help raise and care for Milani; Sherry has become Milani’s guardian. The family praised Jacob Piercy for attempting to save Katlyn and welcomed him into family life. They also use social platforms to raise awareness about domestic violence and to urge survivors to seek help.

Resources

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

Note: This article summarizes court testimony and investigative findings presented at trial. The defense contested elements of the prosecution’s case, including the absence of forensic DNA linking the defendant to the scene.

The charging cord found wrapped in Katlyn Lyon Montgomery's comforter. / Credit: Bedford County Sheriff's Office

Sisters Sherry Cox and Crystal Sale at Katlyn Lyon Montgomery's hospital bedside. / Credit: Crystal Sale

Katlyn Lyon Montgomery

Bodycam video of Jacob Piercy, Katlyn Lyon Montgomery's roommate, in the apartment they shared following the Oct. 7, 2022, attack. Piercy called 911 and performed CPR. / Credit: Bedford County Sheriff's Office

Jacob Piercy / Credit: CBS News

Katlyn Lyon Montgomery met Trenton Frye on a dating app in January 2022. / Credit: Crystal Sale

A photo taken by a neighbor the day before the attack on Katlyn Lyon Montgomery. Investigators later determined the man sitting at picnic table on a hill near her apartment complex was Trenton Frye. / Credit: Bedford County Sheriff's Office

Trenton Frye is seen on surveillance video from a gas station near the Virginia apartment complex where Katlyn Lyon Montgomery lived on Oct. 6, 2022 – a day before her murder. / Credit: Bedford County Sheriff's Office

Investigators question Trenton Frye at a mental health facility in North Carolina. / Credit: Bedford County Sheriff's Office

Trenton Frye and Katlyn Lyon Montgomery. / Credit: Crystal Sale

Trenton Frye takes the stand in his trial for the murder of Katlyn Lyon Montgomery. / Credit: WDBJ7

Katlyn