James Timothy “Tim” Norman was found guilty Friday of two counts of federal murder-for-hire and one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in the investigation. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Norman, the son of Robbie Montgomery, who founded Sweetie Pie’s in 1996, took out a $450,000 life insurance policy in 2015 on his nephew, Andre Montgomery Jr., naming himself as the sole beneficiary. The 21-year-old Montgomery was shot and killed in the 3900 block of Natural Bridge Road just after 8 p.m. on March 14, 2016. Norman was one of four people indicted in the conspiracy to commit murder. Sweetie Pie’s restaurant and the Montgomery family were the subjects of a reality show, Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s, which was produced by Oprah Winfrey’s OWN.
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Closing arguments in the eight-day trial wrapped up on Wednesday around 11:40 a.m. and the jury left the courtroom to deliberate. Around 3 p.m. the jury requested three exhibits be sent to them: flight records for Terica Ellis (a defendant), text messages between Norman and his attorney, and a copy of the application for life insurance that Norman successfully took out on Montgomery. Shortly afterwards, the jury requested copies of all the text messages entered into evidence over the course of the trial.
Closing Arguments and What’s Next for Tim Norman
Assistant United States Attorney Angie Danis made the case in closing argument for the prosecution that Norman initiated the murder plot in hopes of a payout.
Norman’s defense attorney Michael Leonard responded in his closing remarks that the murder plot described by prosecutors was a “made up theory.”
Leonard questioned the credibility of the testimony from Norman’s alleged co-conspirators, argued Ellis felt compelled to testify to get a shorter sentence and reminded jurors that the shooter even admitted that no one was responsible for his actions but him. Hill testified that he bought a gun and killed Montgomery after he was told by a mutual acquaintance that Norman would pay to have his nephew killed. Hill said he was paid $5,000 after the killing by another man, Darryl Howard, who testified he made the payment at the behest of Norman. Leonard emphasized that Hill testified he was a heavy drug user at the time and “hopped up on drugs that day.”
In her rebuttal, prosecutor Danis told jurors not to trust Norman’s testimony, emphasizing that all the testimony from alleged co-conspirators was backed up in trial by texts, call records and location data.
Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty, but Norman could be sentenced to up to life in prison. Sentencing is set for Dec. 15.
“The defendant sat up there for four hours and spun tales because that’s what he does. There’s about 45 reasons why you can’t trust a word this man says. He scripted a show to portray an image of wealth and success that wasn’t real, and he created an image of being a mentor and a father figure to all these people, but it’s fiction.”
