Former St. Louis reality TV star James “Tim” Norman was sentenced Thursday to two life sentences for a conspiracy to kill his nephew that involved fraudulent life insurance policies, cash payments and years of coverups.
US District Judge John A. Ross sentenced Norman to life in prison Thursday morning on two counts of murder for hire, citing trial evidence as “overwhelming” evidence that Norman masterminded the March 2014 murder of his 21-year-old nephew in St. Louis. Andre Montgomery.
Ross said before sentencing, “This was a callous, incredibly premeditated, planned execution of your nephew.”
A jury found Norman guilty in a September trial that attracted national attention. Both Norman and his nephew starred in “Welcome to Sweetie Pies”, a long-running reality show of its own in the St. Louis area about the popular soul-food business founded by Robbie Montgomery – Norman’s mother and Andre’s grandmother. Show is.
Several members of Montgomery’s family, including his mother Michelle Griggs, appeared in court Thursday to request Norman be sentenced to life in prison.
“His greed has hurt so many people,” Griggs said. “Not just my family.”
Witnesses at trial testified that Norman hired his nephew’s shooter, Travail Anthony Hill, for $5,000 and paid Terika Ellis, an exotic dancer, $10,000 to lure Montgomery to her death in North St. Louis. Did.
Prosecutors presented evidence that Norman then attempted to cash in up to $450,000 in a fraudulent life insurance policy taken out on Montgomery and told Ellis to keep quiet.
Norman declined to speak on his own behalf in court on Thursday, but claimed his innocence in a recent social media post. His attorneys presented several letters from family and friends before sentencing, including those from Norman’s mother and Robbie Montgomery, founder of Sweetie Pie’s restaurant Robbie Montgomery.
Robbie Montgomery wrote to the judge, “I am writing you to ask for clemency for my son. As a mother, I am devastated that my son has been convicted and convicted of crimes.”
He said that his eldest son had been murdered when Norman was 15 years old. Norman’s father was also murdered during his childhood.
“I don’t know why Tim did what he was accused of and was convicted of,” she wrote. “She’s still the child I gave birth to, and I love her as every mother involved loves her child.”
Norman broke down in tears several times during four hours of trial testimony, telling the jury that he enlisted Ellis and Hill to find his nephew, but not kill him. He said he wanted to confront Montgomery about the recent burglary at his mother’s house.
Ellis was sentenced last month to three years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder for hire in the case. Hill pleaded guilty to two murders and was sentenced in October to 32 years in prison.
Norman’s defense attorney Mike Leonard argued in court Thursday that a life sentence for Norman would be disproportionate.
“He will serve twice as much or more time than the person who said he shot Andre of his own free will,” Leonard said.
Assistant US Attorney Angie Dennis responded that Hill would not have killed Montgomery if it had not been for Norman.
Norman presented a successful face to the public, Dennis told the judge, but “underneath was far more sinister.”