When emergency responders arrived at Katlyn Lyon Montgomery’s apartment following a 911 call from her roommate Jacob Piercy, they initially suspected a drug overdose. This came after Katlyn’s daughter, Milani, alerted Piercy that something was amiss. However, as reported by “48 Hours” correspondent Erin Moriarty, it quickly became evident that Katlyn had been murdered.
In the early hours of January 7, 2022, Katlyn was taken to the hospital, where medical staff observed severe injuries on her head and neck. Lead investigator Robbie Burnette from Virginia’s Bedford County Sheriff’s Office focused on documenting these injuries. A potential clue emerged when investigator Michelle Alderson discovered a multiple charging cord adapter wrapped in Katlyn’s comforter, which may have been implicated in her injuries.
Given that there was no forced entry into the apartment, investigators initially considered Piercy a prime suspect. However, after he cooperated with authorities, providing his phone for examination and participating in multiple interviews, he was cleared of any wrongdoing. Notably, he could be heard on the 911 call performing CPR in an effort to save Katlyn.
As the investigation deepened, attention turned to Trenton Frye, a man Katlyn had recently broken up with. Initially perceived as successful and promising by Katlyn’s friends and family, Frye’s true situation emerged when he confessed to Katlyn that he lacked a stable income and credit needed for securing an apartment for them. Katlyn’s aunt, Sherry Cox, recounted a distressed call from her where Katlyn confronted Frye about his deceptive claims.
Realizing he might be a con artist, Katlyn ultimately decided to end the relationship and blocked Frye. This severing of ties presented a possible motive for the crime. With cellphone data placing Frye near Katlyn’s apartment during the time of the attack, authorities arrested him.
As Frye awaited trial, prosecutors faced the challenge of demonstrating how he could have gained entry into the second-story apartment without leaving any physical evidence. Commonwealth Attorney Wes Nance theorized that Frye may have used a bench found discarded near the apartment to climb up to Katlyn’s balcony.
Despite these assertions, Frye’s defense lawyer, Joseph Sanzone, maintained that there was insufficient evidence connecting Frye to the crime scene and argued that scaling the balcony undetected, especially with three dogs present, would have been implausible. He likened this ability to that of a movie star, specifically noting that “Only Tom Cruise can do that as far as I know.”
During the trial, Frye’s self-referred moniker, “ninja,” garnered attention as a curious detail, amid the legal battle. The case continues to unfold, highlighting critical issues of trust, deception, and the tragic consequences of toxic relationships.