San Jose pastor guilty of domestic violence in 2024 strangling incident
San Jose Hall of Justice / Photo: Santa Clara County Superior Court
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Authorities said in a news release Monday that Ray Fitzgerald Montgomery, a San Jose pastor and former head of a local community activist group, was found guilty of domestic violence by a jury last week.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said that Montgomery, 59, strangled a woman, 42, with whom he had a relationship with in his home back in 2024.
Found guilty of domestic violence
What we know:
After a trial, on Thursday, July 2, the jury deliberated for three hours and found Montgomery guilty of misdemeanor domestic violence.
He will be sentenced on Sept. 8 in San Jose and faces jail time.
Before he was charged, Montgomery filed a lawsuit in 2025 against the woman claiming that he was being defamed by her, falsely accusing him of the attack.
Montgomery also accused the victim of forcing his resignation from the activist group People Acting in Community Together.
The lawsuit is currently pending.
Domestic violence attack
The backstory:
On the evening of June 6, 2024, the victim went to Montgomery’s home and an argument began.
During this incident, the DA’s office said that Montgomery picked the victim up and dragged her down the hallway. She had told him to stop but he refused.
It escalated to him strangling her, and when the woman felt she was about to lose consciousness, Montgomery released her from the hold between his forearm and bicep.
The victim ran, hid in the bathroom and called a friend to rescue her. She also took photographs of herself, authorities said.
The next day, the victim went to Stanford Hospital and reported the attack.
She contacted the San Jose Police Department on Nov. 26, 2024, to report the defendant’s identity and the incident location. Follow-up statements from the victim were also given to detectives.
The Source: County of Santa Clara's Office of the District Attorney