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Welcome to Sweetie Pie's star Tim Norman was recently convicted of two counts of federal murder-for-hire and one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The reality star has been accused of killing his 21-year-old nephew and co-star Andre Montgomery on March 14, 2016. On Friday, the jury concluded nearly 17 hours of deliberations and ruled that Norman hired two people to shoot and kill his nephew.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of Missouri, jurors also mentioned that Norman attempted to cash in a fraudulent $450,000 life-insurance policy that was taken out on his nephew in 2015.
As per the Associated Press, prosecutors have decided to refrain from seeking the death penalty, but Norman could still be sentenced to life in prison.
A look into Tim Norman’s murder plot against Andre Montgomery
On Friday, reality TV star Tim Norman was found guilty of plotting the 2016 murder of his nephew Andre Montgomery. According to CNN, the official criminal complaint mentioned that Norman conspired in the murder alongside a Memphis-based exotic dancer.
The TV personality reportedly paid the performer $10,000 to lure Montgomery to the crime scene and hired another man with $5,000 to kill the victim. The complaint also noted:
“There exists probable cause to believe that James Timothy Norman conspired with Terica Ellis and/or others known or unknown to investigators at this time to use a facility of interstate commerce, namely, a cellular telephone, to commit a murder-for-hire in exchange for United States currency.”
The document also stated that Tim Norman took out several life insurance policies in his nephew’s name and listed himself as the sole beneficiary in 2014. The insurance plans reportedly included two policies worth $200,000 and $250,000 through Foresters Insurance and one life insurance policy worth $250,000 through Americo Insurance Company.
Norman allegedly attempted to obtain a replacement policy through Foresters Insurance in 2015 but was refused by the company. That same year, he attempted to cash out a $450,000 fraudulent policy that was taken out on Montgomery.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri revealed:
“[The life insurance policy included] numerous false statements regarding Montgomery's income, net worth, medical history, employment and family background.”
The official release surrounding the case obtained by People mentioned that Norman met his co-defendant Travell Anthony Hill in St. Louis on the day of the murder. He reportedly told Hill that a woman would be calling Montgomery to the location.
Montgomery reached the murder site after receiving a call from dancer Terica Ellis. Shortly after, he was shot to death by Hill with a .380-caliber handgun around 8:20 pm that evening. The gunman then disposed off the gun and his phone before leaving the venue.
Tim Norman was arrested on federal charges in August 2020 and was held at the Madison County Detention Center. His co-defendants, including Travell Anthony Hill, Terica Ellis and Waiel "Wally" Rebhi Yaghnam, also pleaded guilty in court.
Following the latest verdict, U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming said Norman’s crime was “motivated by greed” and the evidence against him was “voluminous and overwhelming.” He added:
“Mr. Norman’s plan was relatively straightforward. He fraudulently obtained life insurance in the amount of $450,000 on his nephew, Andre Montgomery, without Mr. Montgomery’s knowledge, he then used a paramour to locate Mr. Montgomery and a co-defendant to fatally shoot and kill him.”
The reality star’s defense attorney Mike Leonard said they were disappointed with the verdict. He mentioned:
“Tim is an amazingly optimistic and strong guy. So he’s been in custody for quite a long time already. He had to sit through the deliberations by himself, and he’s very strong person.”
The lawyer also mentioned that they would file an appeal and said that they believe that the media personality will “overcome” the situation and ultimately prevail.”
Tim Norman's sentencing is scheduled for December 15, 2022.
Everything about Tim Norman
Tim Norman is a reality TV star known for his appearances in OWN network’s award-winning docuseries Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s. The 43-year-old star was born on July 13, 1979 and is an ex-con who joined his family-run restaurant Sweetie Pies.
He joined the restaurant as an employee to help his mother Robbie Montgomery establish it in several locations.
Norman’s reality show ran for nine seasons between 2011 and 2018 and followed the family’s food business headed by his mother and grandmother.
