Featured Image Credit: KSDK/NBC News / REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo
Topics: True crime, US News
Emma Guinness
Topics: True crime, US News
A popular American reality star has been sentenced to life behind bars for his role in the involvement of a murder-for-hire plot against his own nephew.
James 'Tim' Norman, who was known for starring in the St Louis-based reality show Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s, received the sentence on Thursday (2 March).
It is believed that he wanted his nephew dead so he could collect a life insurance policy, back when the plan that led to the March 2016 murder was hatched.
Andre Montgomery Jr, 21, Norman's nephew, was also a reality star at the time of his death, and he had featured in the OWN reality series about his family's food business in St Louis.
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A number of Norman's family and friends submitted pleas asking for leniency prior to his sentencing yesterday.
Robbie Montgomery, who is the grandmother of both men, wrote: "I don't know whether Tim did what he was accused and convicted of.
"He is still the baby that I bore, and I love him as every mother involved loves their child."
The prosecution argued that the reality star lured his nephew into a street where he was fatally shot by someone else after taking out a $450,000 life insurance policy on him.
However, while Norman was defended by some members of his family in the case, others, including his mom, Michell Griggs, requested that he receive a life sentence, it was reported.
In the end, he was given not one, but two life sentences from US District Judge John A Ross, who described the crime as 'a cold-blooded, incredibly premeditated, planned execution of your nephew'.
Prior to this week's sentencing, Norman had been convicted of multiple offences including conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit fraud.
The man who pulled the trigger, Travell Anthony Hill, admitted to taking $5,000 in exchange for shooting Montgomery.
He was sentenced to 39 years behind bars.
A third person involved in the plot, Terica Taneisha Ellis, said Norman paid her $10,000 to inform him where his nephew was on that fateful day.
Insurance agent Waiel 'Wally' Rebhi Yaghnam was also prosecuted as he helped Norman apply for several policies fraudulently and file a claim on his nephew's after the crime took place. He was sentenced to three years behind bars.
A week before his sentencing, Norman took to Instagram to protest his innocence.
"Thank you for all the prayers. I'm still in disbelief. The feds know 100% I did not do those insurance policies.
"But the jury didn't get to hear that. And not one person got on the stand and said that I told them to hurt my nephew. They destroyed my name and image so you guys wouldn't search for the truth."