‘Sweetie Pie’ star Tim Norman was found guilty of all charges in the highly publicized murder-for-hire trial.
According to The St. Louis Dispatch, Norman was held accountable for conspiring to kill his nephew, Andre Montgomery Jr., among several other charges. The charges include two federal murder-for-hire counts– conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire resulting in death– and one charge of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Jurors reportedly came to a decision after deliberating for more than 17 hours, spanning over three days in court.
“Mr. Norman’s crimes were motivated by greed, and while the evidence was voluminous and overwhelming, Mr. Norman’s plan was relatively straightforward,” U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming said following the verdict, CNN reported. “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. Within days of his nephew’s murder, Mr. Norman started the process of getting the insurance company to pay the claim.”
Sis2Sis reported Norman was previously accused of conspiring to have Montgomery Jr. killed to collect on a life insurance policy. The 21-year-old was shot outside a St. Louis apartment complex in 2016. Prosecutors said the 43-year-old took out several policies on Montgomery Jr. totaling over $450,000 and tried to cash them shortly after his nephew’s death.
During the latest trial date, prosecutors also said evidence pointed to Norman allegedly paying exotic dancer Terica Ellis $10,000 to track down his nephew’s location. They added that he allegedly had a friend pay the suspected shooter, Travell Anthony Hill, $5,000 after Montgomery Jr. was gunned down.
Norman reportedly burst into tears during the testimony, telling jurors he allegedly recruited Ellis and Hill to find his nephew but not kill him.
“I’m extraordinarily surprised and disappointed,” the 43-year-old’s defense lawyer, Mike Leonard, said. “I really thought this was a case where the prosecution didn’t meet the burden of proof.”
The ‘Sweetie Pie’ star is reportedly scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 15, as he faces “statutory penalty range of up to life imprisonment,” Fleming said.
