James “Tim” Norman is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his nephew
A former reality TV star who had a show on Oprah Winfrey’s network will spend the rest of his life behind bars for plotting the murder of his nephew.
James Timothy “Tim” Norman was sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating the murder of his 20-year-old nephew Andre Montgomery Jr. by the Justice Department announced in a press release on Thursday.
Norman and Montgomery had appeared on the reality show Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s, which showcased the family’s soul food business in the St. Louis area aired for nine seasons on OWN, Winfrey’s network.
Montgomery was shot dead on March 14, 2016. Prosecutors say Norman hired people to kill him for insurance money.
“Norman bought Montgomery life insurance for $450,000 and then through intermediaries arranged the murder of his nephew at 3964 Natural Bridge Avenue in St. Louis,” the DOJ press release reads. A federal court sentenced in September.
US District Judge John Andrew Ross announced his verdict on Thursday.
“The defendant is hereby surrendered to the custody of the United States Bureau of Prisons for life imprisonment,” the order said. “This term consists of lifetime terms on counts one and two and 240 months on count three, all such terms to be served concurrently.”
The order states that the life sentence “shall be imposed following any sentence” imposed in a Texas criminal proceeding in which Norman was charged with assaulting a family member.
Norman’s three co-defendants had previously pleaded guilty. Travell Anthony Hill, who admitted to shooting Montgomery, was sentenced to 32 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and murder for hire. Hill received $5,000, the DOJ said.
Montgomery’s location was provided by Terica Taneisha Ellis, who knew both the victim and his uncle. She pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit murder and admitted that Norman paid her $10,000 to find Montgomery and leak his location, the DOJ said. Ellis said she didn’t know Montgomery was going to be shot. She was sentenced to three years in prison.
Waiel “Wally” Rebhi Yaghnam is also serving three years after pleading guilty to wire and mail fraud. He also admitted to fraudulently helping Norman apply for multiple insurance policies beginning in October 2014 and helping Norman file a claim on Montgomery’s life insurance policy, the DOJ said.
“Tim Norman gave the public an image, but there were even more sinister intentions lurking underneath,” Assistant US Attorney Angie Danis said during Thursday’s sentencing hearing, according to the Justice Department press release. “And the measure of a person’s character is what they do when they think no one is looking. When he thought no one was looking, he planned and carried out his nephew’s execution.”
Colin Kalmbacher contributed to this report.
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https://lawandcrime.com/crime/former-reality-tv-star-gets-life-sentence-for-murder-for-hire-plot-targeting-nephew/ James “Tim” Norman is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his nephew
